https://lavozcolorado.com/2024/05/29/no-sign-of-israel-palestine-war-ending/
By: Ernest Gurulé Date:May 29, 2024
Editor’s note: Because this incident occurred after press time, it was not included in our story. A Monday Israeli air strike on Rafah killed at least 45 people, including women and children. Prime Minister Netanyahu has called the strike on the site, which had previously been marked as a “safe zone,” a “tragic mistake.” Netanyahu has pledged a full investigation.
By: Ernest Gurulé Date:May 29, 2024
Editor’s note: Because this incident occurred after press time, it was not included in our story. A Monday Israeli air strike on Rafah killed at least 45 people, including women and children. Prime Minister Netanyahu has called the strike on the site, which had previously been marked as a “safe zone,” a “tragic mistake.” Netanyahu has pledged a full investigation.
A Monday Israeli air strike on Rafah killed at least 45 people, including women and children. Prime Minister Netanyahu has called the strike on the site, which had previously been marked as a “safe zone,” a “tragic mistake.” Netanyahu has pledged a full investigation.
It has been seven long months since an attack undertaken by Hamas and Palestinian terrorists on an Israeli music festival that killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis. In addition, another 250 men, women and children including 31 Americans, were taken hostage.
By any definition, the surprise attack—an attack that had been warned of by American intelligence—was gruesome. Many of the victims were burned and mutilated and required scientific testing to later be identified.
In retaliation, Israel has launched a muscular offensive from land, sea and air that has resulted in more than 35,000 Gazan deaths, an estimated 80,000 permanently injured and as many as 1.8 million Gazans now without permanent housing.
While there have been loud and often violent protests against the Israeli counter offensive, including scores across the United States, there has also been similar condemnation of Hamas. Blame is laid on both sides.
Last Friday, the UN’s International Court of Justice condemned Israel for its offensive and ordered it to stop. But to date, nothing has changed nor, said Ahmed Abdrabou, of the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies, does he expect that anything will change any time soon.
“The only way to end this war,” said Abdrabou, “is approach a cease fire followed by a negotiations to get all of Israel’s hostages back home in return of freeing Palestinian prisoners.” The DU international relations expert said, a good second step would be entering talks giving Palestinians their own state, an idea considered a longshot considering Israel’s current government.
While much of the international community might see wisdom in the idea, Abdrabou said unless there is a significant change in Israeli leadership, that is, a new Prime Minister replacing current Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, nothing will happen. Netanyahu has vowed he will never allow establishment of a Palestinian state.
Abdrabou admits, both ideas are a pipedream. “It’s easy to say, but it’s tough to implement with the current prime minister.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed repeatedly that “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over all the territory west of the Jordan (River),” meaning Gaza.
The war has inspired countless protests against both sides. Pro-Israeli groups have condemned Hamas for its barbarity on October 7th and its continued attacks on Israel, albeit on much smaller scale. Meanwhile, almost daily pro-Palestinian protests critical of the deadly bombardment in Gaza and the iron-fisted restrictions on food, water and medicine entering Gaza. Pro-Palestinian groups have gone so far as to label Israel’s prosecution of the war as genocide.
Last Friday, the United Nation’s International Court of Justice issued an order to Israel to live up to its obligations under the Genocide Convention and halt its offensive in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza.
Denver Rabbi Emerita Birdie Becker condemns the carnage. “I don’t think anyone with a heart can look at that and say it’s not terrible. Of course, I understand that it’s war and war is always terrible.” But the long-time spiritual leader says the blame rests with Hamas. Becker acknowledges the imperfection of the relationship between these two neighbors. But argues that Israel has a history of working with Gazans. “I know of no other place where the enemy one is fighting provides infrastructure, supplies and nourishment, let alone gives warning of upcoming destruction and time and place to move for safety as the (sic) Israel does.”
Becker also points to the spike in antisemitism over the last several years. “The normalization of hate and ‘othering’,” she said, “has seen a disproportionate rise in antisemitism since 2015.” She also said too many, if not most, calls for intifada and Western caliphate are spoken too often by those who don’t truly understand their meanings. It’s a campaign waged by those who don’t truly understand Hamas and its goals.
“They (Hamas) take advantage of the Palestinians who live in Gaza,” she said. “They took all the funding that was given to them (Gazans) and built underground tunnels and war materials.” Hamas, she argued, has stated unequivocally to “annihilate the state of Israel and wipe Jews off the face of the earth.” That, said Becker, “is the only genocide.”
The 1988 Hamas Covenant clearly states that its goal is “The complete destruction of Israel as an essential condition for the liberation of Palestine and establishment of a theocratic state based on Islamic law.” Hamas will, the covenant states, conduct a holy war (jihad) to “attain the objective.” But a strikingly similar vow was made against Hamas shortly after October 7th by Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip,” Gallant said. “There will be no electricity, no water, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and are acting accordingly.” Neither he nor the Israeli government taken back the words.
While there have been lulls in the attacks by Israel, much of the physical damage to Gaza has already been done. It is estimated that rebuilding it, even if it began today, would take a minimum of fourteen years.
But rebuilding has become a back-burner thing with simple survival for hundreds of thousands in Gaza the priority. But with Israel controlling both entry and exit points for everything from food to fuel, survival has become problematic for thousands.
“Both Bibi (Netanyahu) and the leaders of Hamas have committed war crimes,” said Abdrabou, “and both should stand before the International Criminal Court in the Hague.” Netanyahu for prosecuting the war, he said, to “prolong his career,” and Hamas leaders for October 7th and continuing to work toward their vow of erasing Israel from the face of the earth.
https://www.chieftain.com/story/news/2021/06/04/pueblo-levee-trail-dedication-held-honor-great-flood-1921/7542546002/
Remembering the devastating origins of Pueblo's levee and celebrating the new construction
Heather Willard
The Pueblo Chieftain
Hundreds of individuals gathered Thursday afternoon on a newly opened gravel trail, which will run the length of Pueblo's Arkansas River Levee, to remember the lives lost to floodwaters 100 years earlier, and celebrate the city moving forward.
The levee was first constructed to protect the city from the Arkansas River by 1926. In the early 2010's, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began reassessing structures like the Pueblo levee to ensure the safety of city residents. The Pueblo levee failed muster, and in 2015 construction began on replacing and lowering the levee.
The new, lower levee also created the opportunity for a new trail, utilizing the top of the levee as a flat, multi-purpose path for walking, biking and other outdoor purposes, such as spectating events on the river.
More:The great flood: How three days in 1921 forever changed the Pueblo community
Gov. Jared Polis was on-hand for the dedication of the new levee, having been completed earlier this year, and commended Pueblo and its residents for resiliency and growth in the face of many hardships, including current ones like COVID-19. Polis noted that not only did the flood cause a shift in Pueblo's trajectory as a city, but impacted cities and communities hundreds of miles away.
"There was so much lost," he said. Polis also applauded the use of about $1 million of funds from Great Outdoors Colorado nonprofit for the levee's construction, which was awarded mainly due to the inclusion of the trail, seating plans, shade structures and educational boards in the levee plan.
The Pueblo Flood of 1921, which occurred June 3, is considered by many local experts as the worst natural disaster to hit Pueblo since it became a town, killing hundreds, injuring many more and destroying anything that stood in the way of the fast-moving floodwaters.
More:Arkansas River levee trail dedication marked by Governor's speech, fireworks
A suspension bridge was finished in recent days, allowing for the ceremony to occur on the levee itself. A 20-mile trail system is already installed on the south side of the river and is open to the public. Anyone wanting to experience the trail on the levee will have a short opportunity before it's closed again so the construction can be finished. A levee walk (registration and tickets required) will be hosted by the Pueblo Downtown Association on Saturday, June 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with food trucks, goodie bags, muralists and others attractions planned to take place. However, outside that time, anyone is able to visit the new 40-foot-wide levee trail and cross the new suspension bridge. The levee trail is expected to reopen for the public in late July, if construction work proceeds apace.
The Pueblo Conservancy District was created to allow the river's diversion from the center of town in the 1920's, and are still overseeing the levee to this day. Overall, the levee's new construction cost a total of $25 million, much of which was given to the Conservancy District through grants, donations or financing mechanisms through the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
Many dignitaries and representatives were on-hand to help celebrate the levee's completion and commemorate those who lost their lives to the 1921 flood. "Today as we gather, we commemorate the 100 years since the flood, but we also celebrate the path forward, the resiliency of our community, and the attitude of our community to always come together," said Steven Trujillo, head of the Pueblo Latino Chamber of Commerce.
Three faith members — Reverend Joseph Vigil, of St. Joseph Catholic Church; Rabbi Birdie Becker, rabbi emerita of Temple Emanuel-Pueblo; and Reverend Dr. Ben Keller, of First Presbyterian Church — were also on-hand for the ceremony, providing a joint blessing and invocation of the new levee and a tribute to the hundreds of lives lost during the events of that fateful June night of 1921.
Concluding the ceremony was an indigenous blessing performed by elder Sam Gallegoes of the Mescalero Apache and Southern Cheyenne tribes in conjunction with Tomas Shash, an elder of the Apache and Community Group Aztlan. "The flood of '21 was a defining moment in our community," said Trujillo, and explained that the new levee trail, once open, will provide access to a trail system to many underserved communities that are largely isolated from easily accessible outdoor physical activities and areas.
Chieftain reporter Heather Willard can be reached via email at [email protected] or on Twitter: @HeatherDWrites.
It has been seven long months since an attack undertaken by Hamas and Palestinian terrorists on an Israeli music festival that killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis. In addition, another 250 men, women and children including 31 Americans, were taken hostage.
By any definition, the surprise attack—an attack that had been warned of by American intelligence—was gruesome. Many of the victims were burned and mutilated and required scientific testing to later be identified.
In retaliation, Israel has launched a muscular offensive from land, sea and air that has resulted in more than 35,000 Gazan deaths, an estimated 80,000 permanently injured and as many as 1.8 million Gazans now without permanent housing.
While there have been loud and often violent protests against the Israeli counter offensive, including scores across the United States, there has also been similar condemnation of Hamas. Blame is laid on both sides.
Last Friday, the UN’s International Court of Justice condemned Israel for its offensive and ordered it to stop. But to date, nothing has changed nor, said Ahmed Abdrabou, of the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies, does he expect that anything will change any time soon.
“The only way to end this war,” said Abdrabou, “is approach a cease fire followed by a negotiations to get all of Israel’s hostages back home in return of freeing Palestinian prisoners.” The DU international relations expert said, a good second step would be entering talks giving Palestinians their own state, an idea considered a longshot considering Israel’s current government.
While much of the international community might see wisdom in the idea, Abdrabou said unless there is a significant change in Israeli leadership, that is, a new Prime Minister replacing current Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, nothing will happen. Netanyahu has vowed he will never allow establishment of a Palestinian state.
Abdrabou admits, both ideas are a pipedream. “It’s easy to say, but it’s tough to implement with the current prime minister.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed repeatedly that “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over all the territory west of the Jordan (River),” meaning Gaza.
The war has inspired countless protests against both sides. Pro-Israeli groups have condemned Hamas for its barbarity on October 7th and its continued attacks on Israel, albeit on much smaller scale. Meanwhile, almost daily pro-Palestinian protests critical of the deadly bombardment in Gaza and the iron-fisted restrictions on food, water and medicine entering Gaza. Pro-Palestinian groups have gone so far as to label Israel’s prosecution of the war as genocide.
Last Friday, the United Nation’s International Court of Justice issued an order to Israel to live up to its obligations under the Genocide Convention and halt its offensive in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza.
Denver Rabbi Emerita Birdie Becker condemns the carnage. “I don’t think anyone with a heart can look at that and say it’s not terrible. Of course, I understand that it’s war and war is always terrible.” But the long-time spiritual leader says the blame rests with Hamas. Becker acknowledges the imperfection of the relationship between these two neighbors. But argues that Israel has a history of working with Gazans. “I know of no other place where the enemy one is fighting provides infrastructure, supplies and nourishment, let alone gives warning of upcoming destruction and time and place to move for safety as the (sic) Israel does.”
Becker also points to the spike in antisemitism over the last several years. “The normalization of hate and ‘othering’,” she said, “has seen a disproportionate rise in antisemitism since 2015.” She also said too many, if not most, calls for intifada and Western caliphate are spoken too often by those who don’t truly understand their meanings. It’s a campaign waged by those who don’t truly understand Hamas and its goals.
“They (Hamas) take advantage of the Palestinians who live in Gaza,” she said. “They took all the funding that was given to them (Gazans) and built underground tunnels and war materials.” Hamas, she argued, has stated unequivocally to “annihilate the state of Israel and wipe Jews off the face of the earth.” That, said Becker, “is the only genocide.”
The 1988 Hamas Covenant clearly states that its goal is “The complete destruction of Israel as an essential condition for the liberation of Palestine and establishment of a theocratic state based on Islamic law.” Hamas will, the covenant states, conduct a holy war (jihad) to “attain the objective.” But a strikingly similar vow was made against Hamas shortly after October 7th by Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip,” Gallant said. “There will be no electricity, no water, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and are acting accordingly.” Neither he nor the Israeli government taken back the words.
While there have been lulls in the attacks by Israel, much of the physical damage to Gaza has already been done. It is estimated that rebuilding it, even if it began today, would take a minimum of fourteen years.
But rebuilding has become a back-burner thing with simple survival for hundreds of thousands in Gaza the priority. But with Israel controlling both entry and exit points for everything from food to fuel, survival has become problematic for thousands.
“Both Bibi (Netanyahu) and the leaders of Hamas have committed war crimes,” said Abdrabou, “and both should stand before the International Criminal Court in the Hague.” Netanyahu for prosecuting the war, he said, to “prolong his career,” and Hamas leaders for October 7th and continuing to work toward their vow of erasing Israel from the face of the earth.
https://www.chieftain.com/story/news/2021/06/04/pueblo-levee-trail-dedication-held-honor-great-flood-1921/7542546002/
Remembering the devastating origins of Pueblo's levee and celebrating the new construction
Heather Willard
The Pueblo Chieftain
Hundreds of individuals gathered Thursday afternoon on a newly opened gravel trail, which will run the length of Pueblo's Arkansas River Levee, to remember the lives lost to floodwaters 100 years earlier, and celebrate the city moving forward.
The levee was first constructed to protect the city from the Arkansas River by 1926. In the early 2010's, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began reassessing structures like the Pueblo levee to ensure the safety of city residents. The Pueblo levee failed muster, and in 2015 construction began on replacing and lowering the levee.
The new, lower levee also created the opportunity for a new trail, utilizing the top of the levee as a flat, multi-purpose path for walking, biking and other outdoor purposes, such as spectating events on the river.
More:The great flood: How three days in 1921 forever changed the Pueblo community
Gov. Jared Polis was on-hand for the dedication of the new levee, having been completed earlier this year, and commended Pueblo and its residents for resiliency and growth in the face of many hardships, including current ones like COVID-19. Polis noted that not only did the flood cause a shift in Pueblo's trajectory as a city, but impacted cities and communities hundreds of miles away.
"There was so much lost," he said. Polis also applauded the use of about $1 million of funds from Great Outdoors Colorado nonprofit for the levee's construction, which was awarded mainly due to the inclusion of the trail, seating plans, shade structures and educational boards in the levee plan.
The Pueblo Flood of 1921, which occurred June 3, is considered by many local experts as the worst natural disaster to hit Pueblo since it became a town, killing hundreds, injuring many more and destroying anything that stood in the way of the fast-moving floodwaters.
More:Arkansas River levee trail dedication marked by Governor's speech, fireworks
A suspension bridge was finished in recent days, allowing for the ceremony to occur on the levee itself. A 20-mile trail system is already installed on the south side of the river and is open to the public. Anyone wanting to experience the trail on the levee will have a short opportunity before it's closed again so the construction can be finished. A levee walk (registration and tickets required) will be hosted by the Pueblo Downtown Association on Saturday, June 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with food trucks, goodie bags, muralists and others attractions planned to take place. However, outside that time, anyone is able to visit the new 40-foot-wide levee trail and cross the new suspension bridge. The levee trail is expected to reopen for the public in late July, if construction work proceeds apace.
The Pueblo Conservancy District was created to allow the river's diversion from the center of town in the 1920's, and are still overseeing the levee to this day. Overall, the levee's new construction cost a total of $25 million, much of which was given to the Conservancy District through grants, donations or financing mechanisms through the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
Many dignitaries and representatives were on-hand to help celebrate the levee's completion and commemorate those who lost their lives to the 1921 flood. "Today as we gather, we commemorate the 100 years since the flood, but we also celebrate the path forward, the resiliency of our community, and the attitude of our community to always come together," said Steven Trujillo, head of the Pueblo Latino Chamber of Commerce.
Three faith members — Reverend Joseph Vigil, of St. Joseph Catholic Church; Rabbi Birdie Becker, rabbi emerita of Temple Emanuel-Pueblo; and Reverend Dr. Ben Keller, of First Presbyterian Church — were also on-hand for the ceremony, providing a joint blessing and invocation of the new levee and a tribute to the hundreds of lives lost during the events of that fateful June night of 1921.
Concluding the ceremony was an indigenous blessing performed by elder Sam Gallegoes of the Mescalero Apache and Southern Cheyenne tribes in conjunction with Tomas Shash, an elder of the Apache and Community Group Aztlan. "The flood of '21 was a defining moment in our community," said Trujillo, and explained that the new levee trail, once open, will provide access to a trail system to many underserved communities that are largely isolated from easily accessible outdoor physical activities and areas.
Chieftain reporter Heather Willard can be reached via email at [email protected] or on Twitter: @HeatherDWrites.
https://mountainstates.adl.org/one-year-later-plot-to-bomb-pueblos-temple-emanuel/
One Year Later: Plot to Bomb Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel
November marks one year since the FBI arrested Richard Holzer for plotting to bomb Temple Emanuel Synagogue in Pueblo, CO. ADL welcomed last month’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that Holzer had pled guilty to federal hate crime and other charges. ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin thanked the law enforcement agencies involved in the arrest and prosecution of the case and recognized the leaders and members of Temple Emanuel Synagogue for their strength and resilience in a statement released on October 15, 2020.
A congregation of 35 families, Temple Emanuel Pueblo was founded in 1900 and has been in continuous use for over 100 years. ADL recently spoke with Temple Board President Michael Atlas-Acuña and Rabbi Emerita Birdie Becker about the events of last year, what has transpired since and the importance of community.
ADL: How did it feel to know that you and your congregation had been targeted for no other reason than you were Jews?
Rabbi Birdie Becker: With rising antisemitism in the United States and around the world, it was not a surprise to be targeted. I have been encountering antisemitism since elementary school when I was first called a kike. However, my initial reaction was one of incredulity that it occurred in Pueblo with such a small Jewish population and where, in my 20 years, there had been no incidents. I felt we were lucky that no one was injured and nothing was damaged. I was grateful that the bombing was thwarted. I was also very grateful for the work of the career professionals at the FBI and local police.
The congregants had a variety of reactions from angry to defensive to scared. Being at the Temple alone became more uncomfortable for the few who found themselves in that situation. I, too, was more vigilant when arriving and entering the premises alone. We went from an open-door policy to a locked and guarded door with security. This created a dichotomy to the welcoming programs and services we offered.
Michael Atlas-Acuña: I’d also add that when it became known that [Holzer] was a transplant to Pueblo in recent years, we all felt much better knowing that he was not a “home grown hater.”
ADL: How are you and the synagogue doing, one year later? How have people responded to support the congregation in the wake of the incident?
Michael Atlas-Acuña: The congregation is doing great and the Pueblo community has continuously demonstrated its support. The Shabbat following [Holzer’s] arrest, we had over 350 people show up for the service, including our State Representatives. The Synagogue was so full that it was standing room only inside and the people outside formed a human chain around the Temple and were praying and singing. We broke every fire code there is, but I suspect the fire department was okay with it given the circumstances. Thinking back, this would not have been possible if COVID had hit at that time.
Rabbi Becker: Additionally, Mike and I spent several days being interviewed by what seemed like every news station and newspaper, which gave the congregation wide ranging publicity. Calls came in from former Pueblo residents and friends from around the world. We spoke to print reporters from the Denver Post to the New York Times, and from television and radio reporters from ABC, NBC, CPR, and NPR. The reporters were from around the country, as well as from as far away as Israel and Germany. The exposure generated critical funds that were used to provide a security system and security personnel for large gatherings.
With Holzer’s recent plea deal, I formally retired. I had announced during the 2019 High Holidays that I would be retiring as of December 2019, but I ended up staying on because I wanted to remain until this situation was resolved.
ADL: As awful as this was, has it brought any opportunities for coalition work and/or community building that you can share?
Rabbi Becker: We have had good relations with the interfaith community. I was part of the Interfaith Council. Non-Jews have been strong supporters and participants in the Temple and our services were frequented by non-Jews on a regular basis. We had hosted visiting groups from churches and students from the University’s religious studies program for many years. We participated in cultural, religious and Holocaust programs in the community at large and both the community and local media were open and interested in advancing knowledge of the Jewish community. This also brought us closer to the other synagogue in town, United Hebrew. And, while I had made jail visits and knew some of the police force, and Mike also had a strong relationship with the police, this event solidified that connection.
Michael Atlas-Acuña: The Pueblo Police Department has also been a good friend to us. Officers patrol the synagogue during Shabbat services and as requested for other holidays. I have a direct line to the Chief and Deputy Chief of Police. We have been contacted by several church groups to show their support. Pueblo is a loving community and we have always been respected as Jews and the response we received from the community after this incident demonstrated that.
————--
Last year’s plot to blow up Temple Emanuel was just one of 61 cases of antisemitic harassment and vandalism that the ADL Mountain States Region tracked in 2019. The number of antisemitic incidents reported in Colorado increased by 56 percent from 2018 to 2019 and surpassed a peak that had previously been reached in 2017 when there were 57 incidents reported in the state. Reports of antisemitic incidents from the past four years are the highest in the past decade in Colorado. To report an antisemitic or other bias-motivated incident, visit www.adl.org/reportincident.
Posted in Anti-Semitism, Blog, Combating Hate, Extremism & Terrorism, Hate Crimes, United States.
One Year Later: Plot to Bomb Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel
One Year Later: Plot to Bomb Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel
- November 17, 2020
November marks one year since the FBI arrested Richard Holzer for plotting to bomb Temple Emanuel Synagogue in Pueblo, CO. ADL welcomed last month’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that Holzer had pled guilty to federal hate crime and other charges. ADL Mountain States Regional Director Scott Levin thanked the law enforcement agencies involved in the arrest and prosecution of the case and recognized the leaders and members of Temple Emanuel Synagogue for their strength and resilience in a statement released on October 15, 2020.
A congregation of 35 families, Temple Emanuel Pueblo was founded in 1900 and has been in continuous use for over 100 years. ADL recently spoke with Temple Board President Michael Atlas-Acuña and Rabbi Emerita Birdie Becker about the events of last year, what has transpired since and the importance of community.
ADL: How did it feel to know that you and your congregation had been targeted for no other reason than you were Jews?
Rabbi Birdie Becker: With rising antisemitism in the United States and around the world, it was not a surprise to be targeted. I have been encountering antisemitism since elementary school when I was first called a kike. However, my initial reaction was one of incredulity that it occurred in Pueblo with such a small Jewish population and where, in my 20 years, there had been no incidents. I felt we were lucky that no one was injured and nothing was damaged. I was grateful that the bombing was thwarted. I was also very grateful for the work of the career professionals at the FBI and local police.
The congregants had a variety of reactions from angry to defensive to scared. Being at the Temple alone became more uncomfortable for the few who found themselves in that situation. I, too, was more vigilant when arriving and entering the premises alone. We went from an open-door policy to a locked and guarded door with security. This created a dichotomy to the welcoming programs and services we offered.
Michael Atlas-Acuña: I’d also add that when it became known that [Holzer] was a transplant to Pueblo in recent years, we all felt much better knowing that he was not a “home grown hater.”
ADL: How are you and the synagogue doing, one year later? How have people responded to support the congregation in the wake of the incident?
Michael Atlas-Acuña: The congregation is doing great and the Pueblo community has continuously demonstrated its support. The Shabbat following [Holzer’s] arrest, we had over 350 people show up for the service, including our State Representatives. The Synagogue was so full that it was standing room only inside and the people outside formed a human chain around the Temple and were praying and singing. We broke every fire code there is, but I suspect the fire department was okay with it given the circumstances. Thinking back, this would not have been possible if COVID had hit at that time.
Rabbi Becker: Additionally, Mike and I spent several days being interviewed by what seemed like every news station and newspaper, which gave the congregation wide ranging publicity. Calls came in from former Pueblo residents and friends from around the world. We spoke to print reporters from the Denver Post to the New York Times, and from television and radio reporters from ABC, NBC, CPR, and NPR. The reporters were from around the country, as well as from as far away as Israel and Germany. The exposure generated critical funds that were used to provide a security system and security personnel for large gatherings.
With Holzer’s recent plea deal, I formally retired. I had announced during the 2019 High Holidays that I would be retiring as of December 2019, but I ended up staying on because I wanted to remain until this situation was resolved.
ADL: As awful as this was, has it brought any opportunities for coalition work and/or community building that you can share?
Rabbi Becker: We have had good relations with the interfaith community. I was part of the Interfaith Council. Non-Jews have been strong supporters and participants in the Temple and our services were frequented by non-Jews on a regular basis. We had hosted visiting groups from churches and students from the University’s religious studies program for many years. We participated in cultural, religious and Holocaust programs in the community at large and both the community and local media were open and interested in advancing knowledge of the Jewish community. This also brought us closer to the other synagogue in town, United Hebrew. And, while I had made jail visits and knew some of the police force, and Mike also had a strong relationship with the police, this event solidified that connection.
Michael Atlas-Acuña: The Pueblo Police Department has also been a good friend to us. Officers patrol the synagogue during Shabbat services and as requested for other holidays. I have a direct line to the Chief and Deputy Chief of Police. We have been contacted by several church groups to show their support. Pueblo is a loving community and we have always been respected as Jews and the response we received from the community after this incident demonstrated that.
————--
Last year’s plot to blow up Temple Emanuel was just one of 61 cases of antisemitic harassment and vandalism that the ADL Mountain States Region tracked in 2019. The number of antisemitic incidents reported in Colorado increased by 56 percent from 2018 to 2019 and surpassed a peak that had previously been reached in 2017 when there were 57 incidents reported in the state. Reports of antisemitic incidents from the past four years are the highest in the past decade in Colorado. To report an antisemitic or other bias-motivated incident, visit www.adl.org/reportincident.
Posted in Anti-Semitism, Blog, Combating Hate, Extremism & Terrorism, Hate Crimes, United States.
One Year Later: Plot to Bomb Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel
President of Temple Emanuel: Michael Atlas-Acuña
|
11.9.19 – First Friday night service after the threat
|
Rabbi Emerita Birdie Becker
|
Uncertain Future for Pueblo's Jewish community
https://www.ijn.com/uncertain-future-for-pueblos-jewish-community/
|
COLORADO MATTERS
The Special Significance of Passover 2020 It was a pleasure speaking with Ryan Warner on Colorado Matters, 4/6/20. Here is a link. Photo is from a past Passover with dear friends. https://www.cpr.org/2020/04/07/the-seder-tables-wont-be-as-crowded-but-the-passover-story-has-a-special-significance-this-year/ |
A Colorado Synagogue Struggles To Make Sense Of A Violent White Supremacist Threat
February 28, 20204:10 PM ET
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW
Read and listen at NPR
Heard on All Things Considered
Transcript
A synagogue in Pueblo, Colo. hosts a diverse group of worshipers — many of whom struggled in the aftermath of a threatened terrorist attack.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
I'm Ari Shapiro in Pueblo, Colo. Jews in America today are acutely aware that they are targets. Anti-Semitic incidents are becoming more common, from swastika graffiti to physical violence. A synagogue here in Pueblo recently brushed up against that reality. We're hosting the show from here today, one of the cities we're focused on for NPR's yearlong project Where Voters Are. From now through the election, we will be asking where voters are with candidates and where they are on the issues. Even though the city of Pueblo only has about 100,000 people, it's home to one of the oldest synagogues west of the Mississippi. Temple Emanuel was built around the year 1900.
BIRDIE BECKER: Although it looks like it was picked up out of a shtetl in Europe, it actually was built here.
SHAPIRO: Rabbi Birdie Becker leads us into the sanctuary through a red brick arch. In the morning, the rising sun shines through a stained-glass window over the front entrance. Now with the sun low in the sky, the flaming light of late afternoon bursts through another stained-glass window over the arc that holds the Torah scrolls.
A few months ago, the FBI arrested a 27-year-old white supremacist and charged him with plotting to blow up this synagogue.
BECKER: What we would have lost would've just been amazing. The history down here, this little wing here, this little alcove, has the history of where Judaism really began in this state.
SHAPIRO: It's photographs and artifacts. There's Shabbat candles and a menorah, a kiddush cup and certificates dating back, I'm sure, almost a century.
BECKER: More than that because the congregation began before the building existed.
SHAPIRO: Jewish merchants came here in the 1800s to supply steel mill workers. The photographs show well-dressed men and women at banquet tables celebrating marriages and bar mitzvahs. Today the congregation has about 35 families. They include Republicans and Democrats ranging in age from a baby to a 98-year-old Holocaust survivor.
BECKER: Everything - farmers, people come who live in the city, people who come from the mountains.
SHAPIRO: As rabbi, is it hard to unify all of those differences?
BECKER: So because we're small, we know that we need to be together.
SHAPIRO: I asked Rabbi Becker whether the threat against this synagogue has cast a shadow over the community. And at first, she said, no. It's brought people together. Donations poured in from all over the country. Churches and mosques came out to support Temple Emanuel.
But then she told me she arrived for our meeting a little early, and a strange man was sitting on the steps in front of the synagogue.
BECKER: Where I might have gotten out of my car before, I wouldn't do that now. Where our door used to be open, now we have someone who sits and guards it. It's locked. You can't just walk in. You have to knock to get in.
SHAPIRO: That feels like a concession that it must have been difficult to make.
BECKER: It is, but it's reality now. So you make it.
SHAPIRO: Do you think it's a temporary reality?
BECKER: No. No, I think it's where the world is going, and Jews have always been the canaries in the coal mine.
SHAPIRO: Some people have argued that the rise in anti-Semitism is a direct reflection of rhetoric from powerful people in politics.
BECKER: I think that it's a lot more than the rhetoric. I think it goes much deeper. Othering can happen to and has happened with so many groups - the turning back of the clock for the LGBTQ community, the turning back of the clock for immigration, the turning back of the clock for women's rights and reproductive rights.
SHAPIRO: What you are saying sounds like an indictment of the Trump administration, and you have a congregation in which many people are Trump voters and Trump supporters.
BECKER: Correct.
SHAPIRO: Does that make it difficult for you to say this (laughter)?
BECKER: I did not indict Trump.
SHAPIRO: OK.
BECKER: I did not bring his name up.
SHAPIRO: Am I misinterpreting your remarks?
BECKER: Everyone can interpret them as they see.
SHAPIRO: So that's how you walk that tightrope.
BECKER: That's how I walk the tightrope.
SHAPIRO: One of the congregation's Trump supporters is the synagogue president, Michael Atlas-Acuna.
MICHAEL ATLAS-ACUNA: I come from a Mexican background, OK? I come from a background of people who are continuously being told that we're too stupid to do certain things, that I'm too stupid to get my own ID card and go vote. There's too much pandering to people of color and women. And I just think that's - to me, the Democratic Party that I used to belong to is no longer that.
SHAPIRO: When did you switch?
ATLAS-ACUNA: I'm not a Republican either. I'm an independent. I switched about five years ago.
SHAPIRO: Oh, wow. So did you vote for Obama and then for Trump?
ATLAS-ACUNA: No, I didn't vote for Obama. Rabbi Birdie and I are on opposite sides. She probably told you that. But, you know, I respect her.
SHAPIRO: Do you have any advice for the rest of the 300 million people in America who might be having a tough time either breaking out of their bubble or having a conversation with somebody outside of their bubble that doesn't turn into screaming?
ATLAS-ACUNA: I think, first of all, become Jewish and learn how to listen.
(LAUGHTER)
ATLAS-ACUNA: And learn and understand that there's two sides to an argument.
SHAPIRO: When the FBI arrested the man plotting to bomb this synagogue, Atlas-Acuna was the first person they called. And in the months since then, members of the congregation have offered help in a distinctly Colorado way.
ATLAS-ACUNA: We just have some people here that came to me and said, don't ever worry about it because we're - I have a concealed permit. And there's about three or four of them that do.
SHAPIRO: It seems like a way of saying we're not going to be victims.
ATLAS-ACUNA: Exactly. That's why I put that sign up there.
SHAPIRO: The sign that says, this is not a gun-free zone.
ATLAS-ACUNA: That's right. Why would any soft target put up a sign that's saying it's a gun-free zone? You're just asking for trouble.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing in Hebrew).
SHAPIRO: It's Friday night, and people are singing Hebrew prayers to usher in Shabbat. Rabbi Birdie is strumming a guitar. Michael Atlas-Acuna keeps rhythm on the congas. There's also a violin and an accordion. This is a day of peace in a trying time. After the service, people mill around the social hall next door eating homemade challah and cookies.
Members of the congregation tell me this election is inflaming the anxiety that's been brewing since they heard about the bomb threat. Miriam Neff considers herself a liberal Democrat, and she says even with nine months until the election, she's as stressed as she was in the last month of the 2016 campaign.
MIRIAM NEFF: I'm really scared about this election cycle. Instead of feeling that way in October, I'm feeling that way in February. What is it going to be like in another six months?
SHAPIRO: And the knowledge that her community is a target makes it even worse.
NEFF: I don't talk about being Jewish very freely. The place that I thought was so safe and secure was not as safe as I had imagined it to be.
SHAPIRO: Mark Schuman told me he's shocked to encounter this anti-Semitism in a place like Pueblo.
MARK SCHUMAN: I grew up in a very Bible-belt town, never have experienced any anti-Semitism in my life. Some of Trump's comments have probably not helped the situation. I'll put it that way. And I'm a Trumper (ph).
SHAPIRO: You're a Trumper.
SCHUMAN: I am.
SHAPIRO: But you think he bears responsibility for this.
SCHUMAN: I wouldn't go that far, but I would say that he certainly hasn't helped. But I think when you look at the results in the economy, the economy's good. And most people vote with their pocketbooks, so...
SHAPIRO: Before we leave the synagogue, board president Michael Atlas-Acuna shows us one of the improvements that Temple Emanuel purchased with all the donations that came in after the arrest. It's a high-tech security system with night-vision cameras. He can access the live feed on his phone 24/7 to see if there are any threats to this century-old house of worship.
(SOUNDBITE OF ROSTAM'S "GWAN")
Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
Sign Up For The NPR Daily NewsletterCatch up on the latest headlines and unique NPR stories, sent every weekday.
ALSO REPORTED ON: https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/a-colorado-synagogue-struggles-to-make-sense-of-a-violent-white-supremacist-threat/
February 28, 20204:10 PM ET
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW
Read and listen at NPR
Heard on All Things Considered
- 8-Minute Listen
Transcript
A synagogue in Pueblo, Colo. hosts a diverse group of worshipers — many of whom struggled in the aftermath of a threatened terrorist attack.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
I'm Ari Shapiro in Pueblo, Colo. Jews in America today are acutely aware that they are targets. Anti-Semitic incidents are becoming more common, from swastika graffiti to physical violence. A synagogue here in Pueblo recently brushed up against that reality. We're hosting the show from here today, one of the cities we're focused on for NPR's yearlong project Where Voters Are. From now through the election, we will be asking where voters are with candidates and where they are on the issues. Even though the city of Pueblo only has about 100,000 people, it's home to one of the oldest synagogues west of the Mississippi. Temple Emanuel was built around the year 1900.
BIRDIE BECKER: Although it looks like it was picked up out of a shtetl in Europe, it actually was built here.
SHAPIRO: Rabbi Birdie Becker leads us into the sanctuary through a red brick arch. In the morning, the rising sun shines through a stained-glass window over the front entrance. Now with the sun low in the sky, the flaming light of late afternoon bursts through another stained-glass window over the arc that holds the Torah scrolls.
A few months ago, the FBI arrested a 27-year-old white supremacist and charged him with plotting to blow up this synagogue.
BECKER: What we would have lost would've just been amazing. The history down here, this little wing here, this little alcove, has the history of where Judaism really began in this state.
SHAPIRO: It's photographs and artifacts. There's Shabbat candles and a menorah, a kiddush cup and certificates dating back, I'm sure, almost a century.
BECKER: More than that because the congregation began before the building existed.
SHAPIRO: Jewish merchants came here in the 1800s to supply steel mill workers. The photographs show well-dressed men and women at banquet tables celebrating marriages and bar mitzvahs. Today the congregation has about 35 families. They include Republicans and Democrats ranging in age from a baby to a 98-year-old Holocaust survivor.
BECKER: Everything - farmers, people come who live in the city, people who come from the mountains.
SHAPIRO: As rabbi, is it hard to unify all of those differences?
BECKER: So because we're small, we know that we need to be together.
SHAPIRO: I asked Rabbi Becker whether the threat against this synagogue has cast a shadow over the community. And at first, she said, no. It's brought people together. Donations poured in from all over the country. Churches and mosques came out to support Temple Emanuel.
But then she told me she arrived for our meeting a little early, and a strange man was sitting on the steps in front of the synagogue.
BECKER: Where I might have gotten out of my car before, I wouldn't do that now. Where our door used to be open, now we have someone who sits and guards it. It's locked. You can't just walk in. You have to knock to get in.
SHAPIRO: That feels like a concession that it must have been difficult to make.
BECKER: It is, but it's reality now. So you make it.
SHAPIRO: Do you think it's a temporary reality?
BECKER: No. No, I think it's where the world is going, and Jews have always been the canaries in the coal mine.
SHAPIRO: Some people have argued that the rise in anti-Semitism is a direct reflection of rhetoric from powerful people in politics.
BECKER: I think that it's a lot more than the rhetoric. I think it goes much deeper. Othering can happen to and has happened with so many groups - the turning back of the clock for the LGBTQ community, the turning back of the clock for immigration, the turning back of the clock for women's rights and reproductive rights.
SHAPIRO: What you are saying sounds like an indictment of the Trump administration, and you have a congregation in which many people are Trump voters and Trump supporters.
BECKER: Correct.
SHAPIRO: Does that make it difficult for you to say this (laughter)?
BECKER: I did not indict Trump.
SHAPIRO: OK.
BECKER: I did not bring his name up.
SHAPIRO: Am I misinterpreting your remarks?
BECKER: Everyone can interpret them as they see.
SHAPIRO: So that's how you walk that tightrope.
BECKER: That's how I walk the tightrope.
SHAPIRO: One of the congregation's Trump supporters is the synagogue president, Michael Atlas-Acuna.
MICHAEL ATLAS-ACUNA: I come from a Mexican background, OK? I come from a background of people who are continuously being told that we're too stupid to do certain things, that I'm too stupid to get my own ID card and go vote. There's too much pandering to people of color and women. And I just think that's - to me, the Democratic Party that I used to belong to is no longer that.
SHAPIRO: When did you switch?
ATLAS-ACUNA: I'm not a Republican either. I'm an independent. I switched about five years ago.
SHAPIRO: Oh, wow. So did you vote for Obama and then for Trump?
ATLAS-ACUNA: No, I didn't vote for Obama. Rabbi Birdie and I are on opposite sides. She probably told you that. But, you know, I respect her.
SHAPIRO: Do you have any advice for the rest of the 300 million people in America who might be having a tough time either breaking out of their bubble or having a conversation with somebody outside of their bubble that doesn't turn into screaming?
ATLAS-ACUNA: I think, first of all, become Jewish and learn how to listen.
(LAUGHTER)
ATLAS-ACUNA: And learn and understand that there's two sides to an argument.
SHAPIRO: When the FBI arrested the man plotting to bomb this synagogue, Atlas-Acuna was the first person they called. And in the months since then, members of the congregation have offered help in a distinctly Colorado way.
ATLAS-ACUNA: We just have some people here that came to me and said, don't ever worry about it because we're - I have a concealed permit. And there's about three or four of them that do.
SHAPIRO: It seems like a way of saying we're not going to be victims.
ATLAS-ACUNA: Exactly. That's why I put that sign up there.
SHAPIRO: The sign that says, this is not a gun-free zone.
ATLAS-ACUNA: That's right. Why would any soft target put up a sign that's saying it's a gun-free zone? You're just asking for trouble.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing in Hebrew).
SHAPIRO: It's Friday night, and people are singing Hebrew prayers to usher in Shabbat. Rabbi Birdie is strumming a guitar. Michael Atlas-Acuna keeps rhythm on the congas. There's also a violin and an accordion. This is a day of peace in a trying time. After the service, people mill around the social hall next door eating homemade challah and cookies.
Members of the congregation tell me this election is inflaming the anxiety that's been brewing since they heard about the bomb threat. Miriam Neff considers herself a liberal Democrat, and she says even with nine months until the election, she's as stressed as she was in the last month of the 2016 campaign.
MIRIAM NEFF: I'm really scared about this election cycle. Instead of feeling that way in October, I'm feeling that way in February. What is it going to be like in another six months?
SHAPIRO: And the knowledge that her community is a target makes it even worse.
NEFF: I don't talk about being Jewish very freely. The place that I thought was so safe and secure was not as safe as I had imagined it to be.
SHAPIRO: Mark Schuman told me he's shocked to encounter this anti-Semitism in a place like Pueblo.
MARK SCHUMAN: I grew up in a very Bible-belt town, never have experienced any anti-Semitism in my life. Some of Trump's comments have probably not helped the situation. I'll put it that way. And I'm a Trumper (ph).
SHAPIRO: You're a Trumper.
SCHUMAN: I am.
SHAPIRO: But you think he bears responsibility for this.
SCHUMAN: I wouldn't go that far, but I would say that he certainly hasn't helped. But I think when you look at the results in the economy, the economy's good. And most people vote with their pocketbooks, so...
SHAPIRO: Before we leave the synagogue, board president Michael Atlas-Acuna shows us one of the improvements that Temple Emanuel purchased with all the donations that came in after the arrest. It's a high-tech security system with night-vision cameras. He can access the live feed on his phone 24/7 to see if there are any threats to this century-old house of worship.
(SOUNDBITE OF ROSTAM'S "GWAN")
Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
Sign Up For The NPR Daily NewsletterCatch up on the latest headlines and unique NPR stories, sent every weekday.
ALSO REPORTED ON: https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/a-colorado-synagogue-struggles-to-make-sense-of-a-violent-white-supremacist-threat/
Pueblo plotter pleads not guilty
Andrea Jacobs Nov 28, 2019Local, News0
Richard Holzer, arrested by the FBI on Nov. 1 for plotting to blow up Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel, plead not guilty on all charges at his arraignment in federal court Monday, Nov. 25.
“Not a lot happened,” says Temple Emanuel Rabbi Birdie Becker, who attended the proceedings in Denver with four congregants sporting synagogue sweatshirts and T-shirts.
At a follow-up status hearing in another court, a judge discussed how long it would take to assemble documents and witnesses with the prosecutorial and defense teams in order to set a realistic trial date.
“This probably won’t go to trial until April,” Becker says.
Although Holzer’s photograph has been widely circulated in newspapers and on TV, this was the first time Becker had observed the 27-year-old white supremacist in person.
“It was the first time we faced him,” Becker says. “Our presence in that courtroom said, ‘Look at who we are — we are the people you want to destroy. But we’re here to stay.
“ ‘You’re not going to scare us off. We have roots. We are supported. We are strong. The Jews are not going anywhere.’ ”
Temple Emanuel has raised approximately $11,000 “with very little ask” that will go toward the purchase of security cameras for the building.
Holzer was nabbed in an FBI sting operation that negated his heinous plans to blow up the temple, spiritual home to 35 families, and also poison its water system.
Undercover agents, posing as white supremacists, provided two fake pipe bombs and 14 sticks of useless dynamite to Holzer, who was arrested in a Pueblo motel.
“I want something that tells them they are not welcome in this town,” he allegedly told the agents. “Better get the (expletive) out, otherwise people will die.”
Becker says the Temple Emanuel congregation is indebted to the FBI and law enforcement for providing invaluable security measures during and in the wake of the threat.
The Pueblo Police Dept. now posts additional patrol cars at the synagogue every Friday, whether for services or other events. “There’s always something going on then,” she says.
“For the most part I think we do feel safer,” Becker says, “but we are also a little cautious, suspicious, of anyone we don’t know who’s here alone.”
A snowstorm hampered the Southern Colorado Solidarity service that Temple Emanuel held last Shabbat.
“Colorado Springs Rabbis Jay Sherwood of Temple Shalom and Iah Pillsbury of Beit Torah were unable to drive here. But we still had a lovely turnout.
“People came from all over: Denver, Albuquerque, NM, Canon City, a couple from Colorado Springs, and Rabbi Rob Lennick, executive director of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico. It was wonderful.”
The powerful support for Temple Emanuel has transcended local, state and international borders due to coverage on CNN, “Today,” in The New York Times and other venues.
“Word just gets around,” Becker says. “I’ve heard from my friends in Israel, across the country and Canada; I get Facebook requests to ‘friend’ me from Asia and Australia.”
The fact that Holzer’s plot was thwarted is the main source of joy.
“No one was harmed,” Becker says. “We are blessed to have our lovely temple, and our congregation.”
Copyright © 2019 by the Intermountain Jewish News
Andrea Jacobs Nov 28, 2019Local, News0
Richard Holzer, arrested by the FBI on Nov. 1 for plotting to blow up Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel, plead not guilty on all charges at his arraignment in federal court Monday, Nov. 25.
“Not a lot happened,” says Temple Emanuel Rabbi Birdie Becker, who attended the proceedings in Denver with four congregants sporting synagogue sweatshirts and T-shirts.
At a follow-up status hearing in another court, a judge discussed how long it would take to assemble documents and witnesses with the prosecutorial and defense teams in order to set a realistic trial date.
“This probably won’t go to trial until April,” Becker says.
Although Holzer’s photograph has been widely circulated in newspapers and on TV, this was the first time Becker had observed the 27-year-old white supremacist in person.
“It was the first time we faced him,” Becker says. “Our presence in that courtroom said, ‘Look at who we are — we are the people you want to destroy. But we’re here to stay.
“ ‘You’re not going to scare us off. We have roots. We are supported. We are strong. The Jews are not going anywhere.’ ”
Temple Emanuel has raised approximately $11,000 “with very little ask” that will go toward the purchase of security cameras for the building.
Holzer was nabbed in an FBI sting operation that negated his heinous plans to blow up the temple, spiritual home to 35 families, and also poison its water system.
Undercover agents, posing as white supremacists, provided two fake pipe bombs and 14 sticks of useless dynamite to Holzer, who was arrested in a Pueblo motel.
“I want something that tells them they are not welcome in this town,” he allegedly told the agents. “Better get the (expletive) out, otherwise people will die.”
Becker says the Temple Emanuel congregation is indebted to the FBI and law enforcement for providing invaluable security measures during and in the wake of the threat.
The Pueblo Police Dept. now posts additional patrol cars at the synagogue every Friday, whether for services or other events. “There’s always something going on then,” she says.
“For the most part I think we do feel safer,” Becker says, “but we are also a little cautious, suspicious, of anyone we don’t know who’s here alone.”
A snowstorm hampered the Southern Colorado Solidarity service that Temple Emanuel held last Shabbat.
“Colorado Springs Rabbis Jay Sherwood of Temple Shalom and Iah Pillsbury of Beit Torah were unable to drive here. But we still had a lovely turnout.
“People came from all over: Denver, Albuquerque, NM, Canon City, a couple from Colorado Springs, and Rabbi Rob Lennick, executive director of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico. It was wonderful.”
The powerful support for Temple Emanuel has transcended local, state and international borders due to coverage on CNN, “Today,” in The New York Times and other venues.
“Word just gets around,” Becker says. “I’ve heard from my friends in Israel, across the country and Canada; I get Facebook requests to ‘friend’ me from Asia and Australia.”
The fact that Holzer’s plot was thwarted is the main source of joy.
“No one was harmed,” Becker says. “We are blessed to have our lovely temple, and our congregation.”
Copyright © 2019 by the Intermountain Jewish News
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN:
PUEBLO'S TEMPLE EMANUEL CONGREGANTS GO TO FEDERAL COURT IN DENVER
By Robert Boczkiewicz
November 25, 2019
https://www.chieftain.com/news/20191125/pueblos-temple-emanuel-congregants-go-to-federal-court-in-denver
Federal courts; federal law enforcement
Posted at 3:27 PM Updated at 4:22 PMDENVER – Five congregants of Temple Emanuel came from Pueblo to a Denver courtroom to see the man accused of intending to destroy their place of worship – and for him to see them. They wore Temple Emanuel T-shirts so Richard Holzer would know they were there in the federal court where brief hearings were held Monday for the case against him.
“I wanted to see who he really is,” temple president Michael Atlas-Acuna told reporters outside the federal courthouse afterward.
Rabbi Birdie Becker said she wanted Holzer “to see we’re here, we’re strong, we’re not going anywhere, we’re not afraid.”
In the courtroom, public defender Mary Butterton entered a not guilty plea for Holzer, who did not speak. He is charged with three crimes: attempted arson of the 119-year-old temple, using fire and explosives to commit a federal felony, and attempting to obstruct the free exercise of religious beliefs through force and attempted use of explosives and fire.
The FBI arrested Holzer late on Nov. 1 at a Pueblo motel and said he intended to blow it up before dawn on Nov. 2. An FBI affidavit stated its undercover agent previously had convinced him they were sympathetic to his anti-Jewish and white-supremacist views and would help him. The agents brought two phony pipe bombs and 14 phony sticks of dynamite to the motel meeting with him.
“There are voluminous audio and video recordings” of Holzer that the FBI made, said prosecutor Julia Martinez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado.
She and Butterton told U.S. District Judge Raymond Moore that there would be lengthy pre-trial litigation before they are ready to go to trial. Moore is presiding over the case.
Holzer, 27, focused his attention toward the area of the courtroom where the temple congregants and observers were seated. He was emotionless.
Atlas-Acuna disclosed to reporters that $11,000 of donations have been received for a new “high-tech” security system.
The bomb plot “brought the whole community together,” the rabbi said. “We’re hearing from all different faiths.”
Three days before Thanksgiving Day, “We’re thankful for the police, the FBI and the community,“Atlas-Acuna said.
[email protected]
PUEBLO'S TEMPLE EMANUEL CONGREGANTS GO TO FEDERAL COURT IN DENVER
By Robert Boczkiewicz
November 25, 2019
https://www.chieftain.com/news/20191125/pueblos-temple-emanuel-congregants-go-to-federal-court-in-denver
Federal courts; federal law enforcement
Posted at 3:27 PM Updated at 4:22 PMDENVER – Five congregants of Temple Emanuel came from Pueblo to a Denver courtroom to see the man accused of intending to destroy their place of worship – and for him to see them. They wore Temple Emanuel T-shirts so Richard Holzer would know they were there in the federal court where brief hearings were held Monday for the case against him.
“I wanted to see who he really is,” temple president Michael Atlas-Acuna told reporters outside the federal courthouse afterward.
Rabbi Birdie Becker said she wanted Holzer “to see we’re here, we’re strong, we’re not going anywhere, we’re not afraid.”
In the courtroom, public defender Mary Butterton entered a not guilty plea for Holzer, who did not speak. He is charged with three crimes: attempted arson of the 119-year-old temple, using fire and explosives to commit a federal felony, and attempting to obstruct the free exercise of religious beliefs through force and attempted use of explosives and fire.
The FBI arrested Holzer late on Nov. 1 at a Pueblo motel and said he intended to blow it up before dawn on Nov. 2. An FBI affidavit stated its undercover agent previously had convinced him they were sympathetic to his anti-Jewish and white-supremacist views and would help him. The agents brought two phony pipe bombs and 14 phony sticks of dynamite to the motel meeting with him.
“There are voluminous audio and video recordings” of Holzer that the FBI made, said prosecutor Julia Martinez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado.
She and Butterton told U.S. District Judge Raymond Moore that there would be lengthy pre-trial litigation before they are ready to go to trial. Moore is presiding over the case.
Holzer, 27, focused his attention toward the area of the courtroom where the temple congregants and observers were seated. He was emotionless.
Atlas-Acuna disclosed to reporters that $11,000 of donations have been received for a new “high-tech” security system.
The bomb plot “brought the whole community together,” the rabbi said. “We’re hearing from all different faiths.”
Three days before Thanksgiving Day, “We’re thankful for the police, the FBI and the community,“Atlas-Acuna said.
[email protected]
LOVE NOT HATE 11.8.2019 Shabbat Celebration of Gratitude
From shock to celebration in one week. What an amazing Shabbat!
Deep gratitude to everyone who has reached out and to all who came to celebrate with us.
BTW, the person in the plaid shirt is our dear member, Harvey, 98 years young. He was on
the kinderstransport out of Germany. (Note: click below on youtube TITLE: LOVE NOT HATE: Temple Emanuel: Pueblo, CO for access to the video.)
About this website
youtube.com
LOVE NOT HATE | Temple Emanuel | Pueblo, CO
After F.B.I. agents prevented a planned attack on Temple Emanuel, one of the oldest synagogues in Pueblo, CO, the community gathered to show their support for local law enforcement and all religions alike.
Sample Clips used from various news outlets including: CBS News, Today, Fox31 Denver, ABC News, Guardian News, The Sun, CNN
Jolly Mule Productions
Deep gratitude to everyone who has reached out and to all who came to celebrate with us.
BTW, the person in the plaid shirt is our dear member, Harvey, 98 years young. He was on
the kinderstransport out of Germany. (Note: click below on youtube TITLE: LOVE NOT HATE: Temple Emanuel: Pueblo, CO for access to the video.)
About this website
youtube.com
LOVE NOT HATE | Temple Emanuel | Pueblo, CO
After F.B.I. agents prevented a planned attack on Temple Emanuel, one of the oldest synagogues in Pueblo, CO, the community gathered to show their support for local law enforcement and all religions alike.
Sample Clips used from various news outlets including: CBS News, Today, Fox31 Denver, ABC News, Guardian News, The Sun, CNN
Jolly Mule Productions
NEW YORK TIMES
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/us/pueblo-colorado-synagogue-richard-holzer.html
White Supremacist Plotted to Bomb Colorado Synagogue, F.B.I. SaysThe man, identified as Richard Holzer, 27, used several Facebook accounts to promote violence and show support for the Holocaust, the authorities said.
Federal authorities have accused Richard Holzer of plotting to blow up Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colo.Credit...Zachary Allen/The Pueblo Chieftain, via Associated Press
By Julie Turkewitz Nov. 4, 2019
DENVER — Federal authorities in Colorado have arrested a man they accused of plotting to blow up a synagogue in Pueblo, a city two hours south of Denver, according to federal court documents.
The man, identified as Richard Holzer, 27, used several Facebook accounts to promote violence and show support for the Holocaust, writing in July in a private message, for example, that he was “getting ready to cap people,” the documents said.
The message included a picture of him aiming a long gun while dressed in clothing displaying white supremacy symbols. He told another Facebook user, “I wish the Holocaust really did happen” and, speaking of Jews, “they need to die.”
Mr. Holzer was arrested on Friday after he was first contacted by an undercover F.B.I. agent in September. It is not clear when investigators began tracking him or how they were first alerted to his posts. Speaking over Facebook Messenger shortly after contact was made, he told the agent he was formerly a member of the K.K.K. and now identified as a skinhead.
If convicted of attempting to obstruct religious exercise by force using explosives and fire, Mr. Holzer faces up to 20 years in prison.
The arrest comes a year after a shooting at a temple in Pittsburgh left 11 people dead, prompting synagogues across the nation to heighten security and issue safety warnings ahead of services.
In an interview, the Pueblo synagogue’s rabbi, Birdie Becker, said authorities informed the synagogue of a plot only after the arrest. The synagogue, called Temple Emanuel, is more than 100 years old and has a congregation of 35 families, some of whom are the children of Holocaust survivors. Rabbi Becker said that the Pittsburgh attack last year had rattled her congregation, but that she had not expected a community “in the middle of nowhere Colorado” to be a target.
“But,” she said, “that’s our new reality — it’s that anybody can be a target.”
In October, according to the court filing, Mr. Holzer told the undercover F.B.I. agent that he was going to scope the synagogue and sent the agent a video from outside. He then told the agent his plan was to poison members of the synagogue on Oct. 31, possibly with arsenic. He invited the agent to join him.
Later, Mr. Holzer and a friend identified in the documents as Skeeter met with three undercover F.B.I. agents, with whom he began to discuss alternate plots, including a plan to build Molotov cocktails and weld the temple doors shut. Mr. Holzer stated that he wanted to “vandalize the place beyond repair,” the documents said. He then visited the synagogue with the agents, where Mr. Holzer assessed that the Molotov cocktails would not be enough.
The agents “offered to supply” pipe bombs, according to the documents. Several days later, Mr. Holzer met the agents to pick up the bombs, which were inert, according to officials. Authorities arrested him shortly after, and he admitted that he had been planning to blow up a synagogue in the middle of that night.
Officials said he referred to the plan as “my mountain” and to Jews and the synagogue as a “cancer” to the community.
Mr. Holzer’s arrest marks the 13th time since the Pittsburgh attack that authorities have apprehended someone for allegedly plotting attacks or making threats against a Jewish community, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League.The organization had been tracking Mr. Holzer’s online activity since May 2016, according to Scott Levin, its regional director, and had repeatedly shared information with law enforcement, citing a concern that he might pose a threat to public safety.
Temple Emanuel is one of two synagogues in Pueblo, a city of about 112,000 people.
The area is divided politically and the temple is made up of people from across the political spectrum, Rabbi Becker said. She said the plot was particularly painful because Temple Emanuel had become a place where people with differing political views could talk “without a problem.”
The temple was built in 1900, and some families in the congregation trace their roots in the community back generations. The youngest congregant is a newborn; the oldest is nearly 100. Just two weeks ago, Rabbi Becker watched as five children, ages 6 to 8, were honored as new temple students, and were given Torah scrolls and chocolate candy during a Sabbath service.
Pueblo has been home to a Jewish community since at least 1870, when the census listed 12 Jewish families, according to the local newspaper. Many of those Jews were Central and Eastern European immigrants.
The temple is one of the oldest in Colorado, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rabbi Becker said services would continue at Temple Emanuel despite the threat. “We’ve been around for 119 years,” she said. “This is a blip. You just move on.”
Alain Delaquérière contributed research.
Correction: Nov. 4, 2019
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the day Richard Holzer was arrested. It was Friday, not Saturday.
Julie Turkewitz is a national correspondent based in Denver. Since joining the The Times in 2014, she has driven more than 200,000 miles around the country, writing about a variety of issues and covering disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires.
A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 5, 2019, Section A, Page 20 of the New York edition with the headline: Colorado Man Is Arrested In Plot to Bomb Synagogue.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/us/pueblo-colorado-synagogue-richard-holzer.html
White Supremacist Plotted to Bomb Colorado Synagogue, F.B.I. SaysThe man, identified as Richard Holzer, 27, used several Facebook accounts to promote violence and show support for the Holocaust, the authorities said.
Federal authorities have accused Richard Holzer of plotting to blow up Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colo.Credit...Zachary Allen/The Pueblo Chieftain, via Associated Press
By Julie Turkewitz Nov. 4, 2019
DENVER — Federal authorities in Colorado have arrested a man they accused of plotting to blow up a synagogue in Pueblo, a city two hours south of Denver, according to federal court documents.
The man, identified as Richard Holzer, 27, used several Facebook accounts to promote violence and show support for the Holocaust, writing in July in a private message, for example, that he was “getting ready to cap people,” the documents said.
The message included a picture of him aiming a long gun while dressed in clothing displaying white supremacy symbols. He told another Facebook user, “I wish the Holocaust really did happen” and, speaking of Jews, “they need to die.”
Mr. Holzer was arrested on Friday after he was first contacted by an undercover F.B.I. agent in September. It is not clear when investigators began tracking him or how they were first alerted to his posts. Speaking over Facebook Messenger shortly after contact was made, he told the agent he was formerly a member of the K.K.K. and now identified as a skinhead.
If convicted of attempting to obstruct religious exercise by force using explosives and fire, Mr. Holzer faces up to 20 years in prison.
The arrest comes a year after a shooting at a temple in Pittsburgh left 11 people dead, prompting synagogues across the nation to heighten security and issue safety warnings ahead of services.
In an interview, the Pueblo synagogue’s rabbi, Birdie Becker, said authorities informed the synagogue of a plot only after the arrest. The synagogue, called Temple Emanuel, is more than 100 years old and has a congregation of 35 families, some of whom are the children of Holocaust survivors. Rabbi Becker said that the Pittsburgh attack last year had rattled her congregation, but that she had not expected a community “in the middle of nowhere Colorado” to be a target.
“But,” she said, “that’s our new reality — it’s that anybody can be a target.”
In October, according to the court filing, Mr. Holzer told the undercover F.B.I. agent that he was going to scope the synagogue and sent the agent a video from outside. He then told the agent his plan was to poison members of the synagogue on Oct. 31, possibly with arsenic. He invited the agent to join him.
Later, Mr. Holzer and a friend identified in the documents as Skeeter met with three undercover F.B.I. agents, with whom he began to discuss alternate plots, including a plan to build Molotov cocktails and weld the temple doors shut. Mr. Holzer stated that he wanted to “vandalize the place beyond repair,” the documents said. He then visited the synagogue with the agents, where Mr. Holzer assessed that the Molotov cocktails would not be enough.
The agents “offered to supply” pipe bombs, according to the documents. Several days later, Mr. Holzer met the agents to pick up the bombs, which were inert, according to officials. Authorities arrested him shortly after, and he admitted that he had been planning to blow up a synagogue in the middle of that night.
Officials said he referred to the plan as “my mountain” and to Jews and the synagogue as a “cancer” to the community.
Mr. Holzer’s arrest marks the 13th time since the Pittsburgh attack that authorities have apprehended someone for allegedly plotting attacks or making threats against a Jewish community, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League.The organization had been tracking Mr. Holzer’s online activity since May 2016, according to Scott Levin, its regional director, and had repeatedly shared information with law enforcement, citing a concern that he might pose a threat to public safety.
Temple Emanuel is one of two synagogues in Pueblo, a city of about 112,000 people.
The area is divided politically and the temple is made up of people from across the political spectrum, Rabbi Becker said. She said the plot was particularly painful because Temple Emanuel had become a place where people with differing political views could talk “without a problem.”
The temple was built in 1900, and some families in the congregation trace their roots in the community back generations. The youngest congregant is a newborn; the oldest is nearly 100. Just two weeks ago, Rabbi Becker watched as five children, ages 6 to 8, were honored as new temple students, and were given Torah scrolls and chocolate candy during a Sabbath service.
Pueblo has been home to a Jewish community since at least 1870, when the census listed 12 Jewish families, according to the local newspaper. Many of those Jews were Central and Eastern European immigrants.
The temple is one of the oldest in Colorado, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rabbi Becker said services would continue at Temple Emanuel despite the threat. “We’ve been around for 119 years,” she said. “This is a blip. You just move on.”
Alain Delaquérière contributed research.
Correction: Nov. 4, 2019
Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misstated the day Richard Holzer was arrested. It was Friday, not Saturday.
Julie Turkewitz is a national correspondent based in Denver. Since joining the The Times in 2014, she has driven more than 200,000 miles around the country, writing about a variety of issues and covering disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires.
A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 5, 2019, Section A, Page 20 of the New York edition with the headline: Colorado Man Is Arrested In Plot to Bomb Synagogue.
Synagogue Threatened By Bomb Plot Is Opening Its Shabbat Services To The Public
November 8, 2019 By Ari Feldman
flickrTemple Emanuel in Pubelo, Colorado.
The Colorado synagogue that was targeted by a white supremacist would-be bomber has said that the public is welcome to attend Friday evening services this Sabbath.
Rabbi Birdie Becker, the leader of Temple Emanuel, in Pueblo, also noted that the synagogue will now install external security cameras in response to the bombing threat.
The man arrested for the plot, Richard Holzer, 27, planned the bombing with people he thought were fellow white supremacists and anti-Semites, but were in fact FBI agents. On Friday evening last week, during the supposed final preparations for the bombing, the agents arrested Holzer. We was expected to appear in federal court Friday.
Becker told local news station KRCC that despite the new security measures — the synagogue’s president recently told news media that he encourages the carrying of guns in synagogue — the community wanted the synagogue to remain open and hospitable.
“We’ll still come together as a community,” she said. “Life goes on. Celebrating goes on, rituals go on, this does not change any of that. It never has. Anti-Semitism has been around for a long time.”
Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aefeldman
November 8, 2019 By Ari Feldman
flickrTemple Emanuel in Pubelo, Colorado.
The Colorado synagogue that was targeted by a white supremacist would-be bomber has said that the public is welcome to attend Friday evening services this Sabbath.
Rabbi Birdie Becker, the leader of Temple Emanuel, in Pueblo, also noted that the synagogue will now install external security cameras in response to the bombing threat.
The man arrested for the plot, Richard Holzer, 27, planned the bombing with people he thought were fellow white supremacists and anti-Semites, but were in fact FBI agents. On Friday evening last week, during the supposed final preparations for the bombing, the agents arrested Holzer. We was expected to appear in federal court Friday.
Becker told local news station KRCC that despite the new security measures — the synagogue’s president recently told news media that he encourages the carrying of guns in synagogue — the community wanted the synagogue to remain open and hospitable.
“We’ll still come together as a community,” she said. “Life goes on. Celebrating goes on, rituals go on, this does not change any of that. It never has. Anti-Semitism has been around for a long time.”
Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aefeldman
THIS IS THE TRUE PUEBLO: SUPPORT STRONG FOR TEMPLE EMANUEL
https://www.chieftain.com/news/20191108/this-is-true-pueblo-support-strong-for-temple-emanuel?fbclid=IwAR1TRSipgkZjARa44r2-AAAElb9XhWDK6Wv1qC9afl0f9lBE7FjY64ibs8I
By Ryan Severance
[email protected]
Posted Nov 8, 2019 at 8:28 PM Updated Nov 8, 2019 at 8:39 PM
Hundreds gathered at Temple Emanuel on Friday night to show support for Pueblo’s Jewish community on the heels of a tumultuous week where it was learned a man was arrested for reportedly threatening to blow up the historic temple.
Regular parishioners of the temple united with supporters from Pueblo and across the state who came to the synagogue for a Shabbat service that was preceded by remarks from law enforcement authorities. The small synagogue that has a maximum occupancy of 180 was standing-room only inside — and the crowd spilled out onto the entryway steps as onlookers peeked in for a view of the service. People who couldn’t get in the temple gathered outside to show support. Some lit candles and sang healing music like “Give Peace a Chance.”
The West family stood outside holding a sign that read “We Love You,” with a red heart in the place of the word “love.” “We wanted to show signs of love and not hate,” said Carrie West, pastor of the Sonrise Church in Pueblo West, who went with her husband, Mike West, and their daughter Gracie to the service. “When there are words and acts of violence we think that love should speak a lot louder; so that means we have to show up.” West said she was heartbroken when she read about the alleged plot to blow up the Pueblo synagogue. “I take offense at the interpretation of Scripture that would say folks who believe differently than us aren’t worthy of life or dignity,” she said. “It hit really close to home. We read about it everywhere else, and it means that hate is too prevalent.”
Evette Tutman, a rabbi at a temple in Denver, drove to Pueblo with 11 others to show support for Temple Emanuel. “It’s not just about this congregation,” she said. “That was a planned hate act that was against everybody who’s just a little bit different, and who knows whether it’s going to come to someone else’s church or mosque.” Tutman said her synagogue has been the subject of threats and has had a baseball thrown through a window there, tough she says nothing as actionable as the purported threat to Temple Emanuel.
Pueblo Police Chief Troy Davenport and District Attorney Jeff Chostner addressed the congregation prior to the service. Davenport emphasized the hard work the FBI did in thwarting the alleged plot. “I wanted to make darn sure they understood that the FBI deserves the lion’s share of credit,” Davenport said. “We certainly had detectives involved and they were significantly involved, but this was an FBI case. The community was made safe because law enforcement was doing their job. We worked collegiality with the FBI and they did just a knockout, bang-up job here.” Noting the impressive number of people who went to Temple Emanuel to show support Friday night, Davenport said he was proud of the community. “This is Pueblo, not what we saw a week ago,” he said. “This is what Pueblo is about. It’s not about hatred; it’s not about any of those things. This is the true Pueblo.”
Chostner echoed Davenport’s appreciation for law enforcement who worked on the case and also spoke to the congregation about what he called “the irrational times we live in that leads people to think they can do these kind of things.” “We need to remember that we live under the rule of law and that you have stability in government that will not be upset by people who don’t think properly,” Chostner said. “We should not play to people’s baser instincts; we should try to encourage people to think positively even in contentious and chaotic times. But until then, we will use the full force of the law to make sure these people are off the streets.”
Richard Holzer, 27, of Pueblo, was arrested Nov. 1 after he allegedly said he was going to blow up Temple Emanuel because he hates Jews, according to the FBI. Authorities said he moved to the area in 2017 from California. Holzer is charged with attempting to obstruct the free exercise of religious beliefs through force and the attempted use of explosives and fire. He was brought to the U.S. District Court for Colorado in Denver on Monday for a judge to advise him of the charges he is facing and of his constitutional rights. The arrest was made by undercover FBI agents at a Pueblo motel, where they and Holzer were discussing his imminent intention to demolish the temple before sunrise Saturday. The FBI said Holzer’s “actions meet the (statutory) definition of ‘domestic terrorism.’”
[email protected]
https://www.chieftain.com/news/20191108/this-is-true-pueblo-support-strong-for-temple-emanuel?fbclid=IwAR1TRSipgkZjARa44r2-AAAElb9XhWDK6Wv1qC9afl0f9lBE7FjY64ibs8I
By Ryan Severance
[email protected]
Posted Nov 8, 2019 at 8:28 PM Updated Nov 8, 2019 at 8:39 PM
Hundreds gathered at Temple Emanuel on Friday night to show support for Pueblo’s Jewish community on the heels of a tumultuous week where it was learned a man was arrested for reportedly threatening to blow up the historic temple.
Regular parishioners of the temple united with supporters from Pueblo and across the state who came to the synagogue for a Shabbat service that was preceded by remarks from law enforcement authorities. The small synagogue that has a maximum occupancy of 180 was standing-room only inside — and the crowd spilled out onto the entryway steps as onlookers peeked in for a view of the service. People who couldn’t get in the temple gathered outside to show support. Some lit candles and sang healing music like “Give Peace a Chance.”
The West family stood outside holding a sign that read “We Love You,” with a red heart in the place of the word “love.” “We wanted to show signs of love and not hate,” said Carrie West, pastor of the Sonrise Church in Pueblo West, who went with her husband, Mike West, and their daughter Gracie to the service. “When there are words and acts of violence we think that love should speak a lot louder; so that means we have to show up.” West said she was heartbroken when she read about the alleged plot to blow up the Pueblo synagogue. “I take offense at the interpretation of Scripture that would say folks who believe differently than us aren’t worthy of life or dignity,” she said. “It hit really close to home. We read about it everywhere else, and it means that hate is too prevalent.”
Evette Tutman, a rabbi at a temple in Denver, drove to Pueblo with 11 others to show support for Temple Emanuel. “It’s not just about this congregation,” she said. “That was a planned hate act that was against everybody who’s just a little bit different, and who knows whether it’s going to come to someone else’s church or mosque.” Tutman said her synagogue has been the subject of threats and has had a baseball thrown through a window there, tough she says nothing as actionable as the purported threat to Temple Emanuel.
Pueblo Police Chief Troy Davenport and District Attorney Jeff Chostner addressed the congregation prior to the service. Davenport emphasized the hard work the FBI did in thwarting the alleged plot. “I wanted to make darn sure they understood that the FBI deserves the lion’s share of credit,” Davenport said. “We certainly had detectives involved and they were significantly involved, but this was an FBI case. The community was made safe because law enforcement was doing their job. We worked collegiality with the FBI and they did just a knockout, bang-up job here.” Noting the impressive number of people who went to Temple Emanuel to show support Friday night, Davenport said he was proud of the community. “This is Pueblo, not what we saw a week ago,” he said. “This is what Pueblo is about. It’s not about hatred; it’s not about any of those things. This is the true Pueblo.”
Chostner echoed Davenport’s appreciation for law enforcement who worked on the case and also spoke to the congregation about what he called “the irrational times we live in that leads people to think they can do these kind of things.” “We need to remember that we live under the rule of law and that you have stability in government that will not be upset by people who don’t think properly,” Chostner said. “We should not play to people’s baser instincts; we should try to encourage people to think positively even in contentious and chaotic times. But until then, we will use the full force of the law to make sure these people are off the streets.”
Richard Holzer, 27, of Pueblo, was arrested Nov. 1 after he allegedly said he was going to blow up Temple Emanuel because he hates Jews, according to the FBI. Authorities said he moved to the area in 2017 from California. Holzer is charged with attempting to obstruct the free exercise of religious beliefs through force and the attempted use of explosives and fire. He was brought to the U.S. District Court for Colorado in Denver on Monday for a judge to advise him of the charges he is facing and of his constitutional rights. The arrest was made by undercover FBI agents at a Pueblo motel, where they and Holzer were discussing his imminent intention to demolish the temple before sunrise Saturday. The FBI said Holzer’s “actions meet the (statutory) definition of ‘domestic terrorism.’”
[email protected]
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
- by jon pompiathe pueblo chieftain
- Apr 24, 2017 Updated 2 hrs ago
On Monday, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a brief but powerfully poignant ceremony inside the Colorado State University-Pueblo library saw a small group of students, faculty and guests do just that.
Zachor, remember.
With six small candles flickering atop a table -- each representing 1 million Jews who lost their lives in the Nazi Germany-led genocide -- Rabbi Birdie Becker complemented her moving words with equally touching traditional Jewish music.
"The Holocaust," Becker said, "is at its very core, the culmination of state-sponsored racism, economic boycotts, and increasingly severe discriminatory anti-Jewish legislation to rid the land, and eventually the world, of Jews.
"In the words of the Nazis, it was the 'The Final Solution.' "
While Jews were the main target group of Hitler and his henchmen, countless others -- Gypsies, political prisoners, the handicapped, homosexuals -- also fell victim to the Nazis, Becker noted.
Among those who died in the fight against fascism was Hannah Senesh, a poet and paratrooper who was imprisoned, tortured and eventually shot, at age 23, for assisting in the rescue of Hungarian Jews about to be deported to Auschwitz.
It was Senesh who wrote the haunting "Eli Eli" ("My God My God") that Becker so emotively presented, accompanying herself on guitar.
Becker then referenced another set of faith-filled, hope-inspiring words -- these committed to a cellar wall in a concentration camp by an unknown prisoner:
"I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining . . . I believe in love, even when I feel it not . . . and I believe in God, even when he is silent."
Those words were then transformed, in a majestic, harmonious manner, into song by members of the CSU-Pueblo chamber choir, who delivered an amazing piece based on that courageous prisoner's message of deliverance.
While the sheer horror and scope of the Holocaust is often difficult to comprehend and process, the duty to remember, Becker reminded, remains sacred.
Remembrance, though, is only part of this life-affirming equation.
"As long as genocide exists anywhere, against any people, 'never again' has no meaning," said Becker. "When any person can be perceived as less than human, every group of people is at risk of being designated 'the other.' "
Becker then reminded those in attendance of not only a tragic resurgence of anti-Semitism, but of the 60 million refugees and displaced people around the world, "still waiting to be free."
From Chad to the Ukraine, Syria to the United States, countless are waiting, yearning "to be taken in not as strangers, but as fellow human beings."
Becker then invited the gallery to rise as she sang, a capella, the mournfully gorgeous "prayer that remembers, 'Ayl Malay.'"
The ceremony concluded with yet another traditional piece, this one "Hatikvah," the national anthem of the State of Israel, regally unveiled by chamber choir member Cody Saunders.
Israel, Becker noted, was "born on the ashes of the 6 million slaughtered, birthed by the 600,000 Jews living in the land, as well as those who helped conceive, support and continue to fight for her existence, all around the world."
[email protected]
Jon Pompia
Jon Pompia has been writing for The Chieftain since 1999. A general assignment reporter, he covers the Colorado State Fair and education and tries not to miss any local concert or event. He has a bachelor’s degree in history/government from Adams State.
To hear some of the music, insert this link in your browser:
http://www.chieftain.com/multimedia/holocaust-remembrance-day/youtube_07c6c757-e797-5510-b3b4-a419c96be135.html
CSU Pueblo Chamber Choir and Cody Saunders sang at the Yom HaShoah service today. It was a privilege to present a service for the community once again. Thank you, Dr. Volk for pulling the music department together. Thank you Pam Richmond for inviting me back. Thank to all who attended. Thank you Jon for the review in The Chieftain.
http://www.chieftain.com/news/pueblo/holocaust-victims-honored-in-eloquent-word-and-song-at-
csu/article_fbe17e5c-0a7a-5986-86ae-a34a09d4b9e8.htmlHolocaust victims honored in eloquent word and song at CSU-Pueblo
Pueblo Jewish community prepares to celebrate Hanukkah
By Mike Spence The Pueblo Chieftain
Published: December 16, 2016; Last modified: December 16, 2016 06:34PM
While many families in Pueblo and across the world will sit down to a Christmas Eve dinner on Dec. 24, Jewish families will be marking the start of a holiday of their own.
This year, Hanukkah will begin at sunset on Dec. 24 and end at sunset on Jan. 1.
That Hanukkah and Christmas are occurring almost simultaneously is merely a coincidence.
Hanukkah always begins on the eve of the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev. Since the Hebrew lunar calendar differs from the Gregorian calendar that is widely used across the globe, Hanukkah can occur anywhere between November and December. For example, Hanukkah began on Dec. 6 in 2015.
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration that commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where Jews had risen up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt.
Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts.
The length of the celebration is based on the Hanukkah “miracle.”
When the Jews reclaimed their temple, it was in a shambles. They cleaned and restored it, but discovered when they went to light the temple there wasn’t enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for even a single day.
With no other options, the Jewish occupants used the available olive oil and lit the menorah. Instead of burning out within hours, the flames continued flickering for eight nights, leaving them time to find a fresh supply of untainted olive oil.
This “miracle” inspired Jewish sages to proclaim a yearly eight-day festival.
Celebration of triumph
Hanukkah is a celebration marking the Jews’ victory against long odds over their oppressors.
The holiday also is a celebration of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality.
The heart of the celebration is the nightly menorah lighting. It begins with a single flame on the first night, two on the second and so on until the eighth night of Hanukkah, when all eight lights are kindled.
The symbolism of the candles is powerful, said the Rev. Birdie Becker, rabbi at Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel.
“We are asked to rise above our human nature; to gain a higher level of holiness by reaching to the image of God within to expand light,” Becker said.
Jewish prayer instructs that increasing divine light (b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God) in the world will overpower negative forces, Becker said.
Traditions
Hanukkah traditions also include adding the Hillel (Psalms 113-18) and Al ha-Nissim (prayer of gratitude) in daily prayers to offer praise and thanksgiving to God for “delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few and the wicked into the hands of the righteous.”
Customs call for the eating of foods fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (jelly-filled doughnuts).
Games are played with a dreidel — a spinning top on which are inscribed the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hei and shin, an acronym for Nes Gadol Hayahn Shan, which translates to “a great miracle happened there.”
Like Christmas, Hanukkah has a tradition of gift giving, called Hanukkah gelt, gifts of money, to children.
Bringing light
Bringing light to the world is more than a once-a-year objective in the Jewish faith, Becker said.
“Expanding light is what we are called upon to do,” Becker said. “Tikkun Olam (repair of the world) is a central piece of our tradition because we understand that all of humanity is interconnected and regardless of whether or not we seem to be directly affected, eventually, we are affected.”
Becker said she had one wish this holiday season: for all of us, no matter what holiday we observe, or even if we observe no holiday, to be a candle and shed light where there is darkness.
“Whichever way you light your Chanukiah (menorah): May we never shy away from diminishing the darkness when we see it or hear it. May we garner the strength to increase light and enlightenment for the better of our world,” Becker said.
[email protected]
Hanukkah observances
WHERE: Temple Emanuel, 1325 N. Grand Ave.
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 30
EVENT: Latke party
INFO: Temple Emanuel will provide all the potato latkes you can eat, and the sour cream and apple sauce to go with them, along with drinks. Participants are asked to bring their menorahs, eight candles and a lighter; a dairy or vegetarian main or side dish to share; and a nonperishable food item (or more if you have it) for the religious school food drive.
The religious school students will perform a play during the gathering.
WHERE: United Hebrew Center, 106 W. 15th St.
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Dec. 29
EVENT: Hanukkah party/dinner
INFO: The United Hebrew Center will have plenty of latke’s, falafel, and all the trimmings. We will be singing songs and reading from the book of Maccabee’s, which describes how Hanukkah came to be a holiday.
Lighting the menorah
When to light: The menorah is supposed to be lit just after dark each night of Hanukkah. (However, many families wait until everyone is home together, and light it then.) On Fridays, the menorah is lit before dark to avoid lighting on Shabbat.
Where to light: The menorah is meant to spread light to others and is traditionally placed in a window, on a table or outside your door. (Just make sure it is far from active kids and flammable materials.)
Lighting ritual
Light the shamash: The candle that is raised or in the center of the menorah is the shamash (helper candle). It’s the one you use to light the other candles. Light it first. (Don’t use any of the other candles to light the others.)
Say the Hanukkah blessing: You recite the Hanukkah blessing once the shamash is lit, but before you light any other candles.
Lighting order: There are eight candles to light. On the first night of Hanukkah, place a candle in the holder on the far right, and light it with the shamash. Then put the shamash back in its spot (leaving it lit). On the second night, light the candle second from the right, then the candle on the far right, and replace the lit shamash. You’ll repeat this pattern for each night of Hanukkah, always lighting the newest candle first. On the eighth night, you’ll be lighting all of the candles, starting at the far left.
Lighting duration: The menorah should remain lit for at least 30 minutes after nightfall. On Friday afternoon, the menorah should be lit 18 minutes before sundown.
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
http://www.chieftain.com/news/top/5341834-119/thankful-god-schleif-thanks
Pueblo religious leaders count their blessings on Thanksgiving
By Mike Spence The Pueblo Chieftain
Published: November 23, 2016; Last modified: November 23, 2016 11:30PM
Today is a special day in the United States. Thanksgiving is the holiday when Americans traditionally have paused to reflect on all they have to be thankful for in their lives.
The first Thanksgiving celebration was held in 1621 when the Pilgrims celebrated a bountiful harvest with their neighbors, the Wampanoag Tribe.
In those days, the American wilderness served as the inhabitants’ grocery store. Settlers grew their own food, or fished for it or hunted for it to survive. Life was hard, so when the catch or the crop was plentiful, the people were thankful.
President Abraham Lincoln officially created the Thanksgiving holiday in 1863. There was hope at that time that taking a moment to be thankful would bring Americans closer together during a bloody Civil War that often pitted family members against each other.
Changing focus
In the ensuing years, the holiday has morphed into something else. Something entirely different. Thanksgiving now is focused more on the “Four F’s.”
Family. Food. Football. And Friday (as in Black Friday).'
It’s always good to celebrate with your family over a meal. Football is as omnipresent in America during the fall as the air we breathe.
Even spending part of Thanksgiving plotting day-after shopping maneuvers — which basically involves joining a giant flash mob at local stores in search of pre-Christmas bargains — is a reminder of just how good we have it.
The rush to the mall reinforces for most of us that the U.S. is a land of plenty. We really should stop and ponder our good fortune. What do we have to be thankful for? We asked local religious leaders for their thoughts.
Everyday blessings
“I’m thankful that God is in my life,” said the Rev. Emilie Forward, pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church. “I’m thankful that I can serve God, my family, my friends and of course, this country.”
Forward said it is easy to take for granted how good we have it. She urged us all to stop and think about the good in our lives.
“There is so much to be thankful for,” Forward said. “To wake up in the morning and be able to put two feet on the floor, healthy eyes, healthy bodies. Many people don’t have that.
“We have food on the table that we so often take for granted. So much that we don’t even think about. In my mind, that is very important.” While giving thanks, Forward said it is important to think about others.
“There have been times in people’s lives when they are really down and out,” Forward said. “Half the time, we don’t know what that means. We have food, a place to sleep. Have a little money in the bank if we’re lucky. We have family. Most important thing, we can hold up our head because we have something to smile about. Some don’t. We forget our everyday blessings.”
While Thanksgiving is a once-a-year opportunity to give thanks, Forward said we ought to take stock of our lives every day. “In the mornings or at night, sit down and contemplate what happened during the day,” Forward said. “Think about the things we are thankful for. God is in my life. I have a lot to be thankful for.”
Giving thanks
The Rev. Tim Reed, pastor at Lake Avenue Baptist Church, said it’s always good to take time to count your blessings and give thanks. “I’m always thankful for the grace of God. Love of God. His word. Thankful for health. Thankful for family and the support of my wife,” Reed said. “I’m thankful for the freedom of our country. Freedom to vote and freedom to peacefully protest. In that regard, I’m thankful for all our veterans and how Pueblo treats its veterans when you look at the sacrifices they and their families have made.”
Reed said he is thankful for the church universal and especially the “good, hard-working people” of Lake Avenue Baptist. “The chance we have in a small way to spread God’s love and show the world a little bit more about Christ is something I’m thankful for,” Reed said.
Reed said living in Colorado makes being thankful for the beauty of nature a must. “If you live in Colorado, you can be overwhelmed with it (natural beauty),” Reed said.
Reed said it was important for all of us to stop for a moment and take stock of our good fortune. “Part of my job is to help people to take that pause,” Reed said, “encourage people to do it more than just on Thanksgiving, to be grateful all year long. We are a blessed people.”
God’s faith in us
Rabbi Birdie Becker of Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel said there’s much to be thankful for.
Jewish prayer calls on individuals to give thanks every day. “The very first morning blessing when we awaken gives thanks for the return of the soul to the body, which occurs with compassion and indicates that God has faith in us,” Becker said. “What a remarkable concept.”
Becker said that in her own life there is much she appreciates. “I am thankful for family, friends and community,” Becker said, “to live in a country that respects rule of law and separation of church and state.”
Becker said she is thankful for the ability to live as a Jew with friends and colleagues of many races and religions. “I am thankful to live in a technologically, medically and scientifically expanding world; to have lived through a time when the arc of the moral universe has bent toward justice.”
Becker said she is thankful for continued opportunities to perform tikkun olam (healing the world), “so that all the prior things remain truths in our lives.”
Give thanks to the Lord
The Rev. Joseph Vigil, priest at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, said he and his parishioners have many reasons to give thanks.
“I’m very thankful and grateful for parishioners at St. Joseph’s Church,” Vigil said. “I’m thankful to be able to minister to a great community here in Blende and Vineland and Salt Creek and all of the Mesa.”
Vigil, who is an energetic leader, said he is grateful for God’s grace and good health. More than that, he said he is humbled by the many blessings bestowed upon him and his community. “I’m just very grateful for God’s blessings for making our community alive in spirit,” Vigil said. “God has given us many blessings as a parish and to me as a priest.”
Vigil said Americans often take their good fortune for granted. He said his homily today would have a simple message: “Give thanks to the Lord for he has been good.”
Life with a purpose
The Rev. Brad Schleif, pastor at First Seventh-day Adventist Church said he gives thanks every day for the blessings in his life. “One thing I’m thankful for is every day when I wake up as a Christian, I have a mission of purpose to let people know about Jesus and a sense that I am walking with the Lord all day long,” Schleif said.
Schleif said he senses God’s presence and purpose in his daily mission. “It makes me realize how difficult it is to get all the bills paid,” Schleif said. “It makes me focus on things other than myself.”
Schleif said he is grateful for the freedoms in this country. “Regardless of the results of this recent election, we can see democracy in action,” Schleif said. “Whether you like or don’t like it, for all these couple of hundred years, we’ve been able to have democracy and peaceful elections. We see change. We are going to see more change in the future.”
Most of all, Schleif said he is thankful for the religious freedoms Americans enjoy. “The freedom not to be told what we have to believe is significant,” Schleif said. Schleif said many Americans don’t appreciate their country enough. “We don’t know what we have,” Schleif said.
[email protected]
http://www.chieftain.com/life/religion/5151074-120/hashana-rosh-jewish-god
Pueblo’s Jewish community to celebrate arrival of the new year
By Mike Spence The Pueblo Chieftain
Published: September 30, 2016; Last modified: September 30, 2016 11:30PM
http://www.chieftain.com/life/religion/5151074-120/hashana-rosh-jewish-god
Pueblo’s Jewish community to celebrate arrival of the new year
By Mike Spence The Pueblo Chieftain
Published: September 30, 2016; Last modified: September 30, 2016 11:30PM
At sunset on Sunday, Jews around the world will observe Rosh Hashana — the new year in the Jewish calendar — and the beginning of the High Holiday season.
How important is this time of year?
Two of the three major Jewish holidays are held within the first few days of the new year. Rosh Hashana marks the start of the new year. Yom Kippur will be held Oct. 11-12.
Passover, the third major holiday celebrating the Jews’ release from slavery in Egypt, will be observed April 10-18.
Unlike the New Year’s Day Americans celebrate on Jan. 1, that is marked by parties, drinking and too many football games to count, the Jewish new year observance is one of solemnity and introspection.
The new year commemorates the birthday of the world (Yom Harat Olam). It also is known as the Day of Judgment (Yom Hadin).
In preparation for the new year, Jews spend the month leading up to the holiday in self examination of themselves and their actions. During the 10 days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Nori’im), they repent their violations of God’s law and the wrongs they have done to others. During this time, they ask for forgiveness from those they have wronged, as well as offer repentance (t’shuvah) to God.
It’s a chance for Jews to start the new year with a clean slate, just like Adam and Eve when they began life.
“This allows us to repent for the past so that we can focus on the future and begin again with a fresh outlook and renewed spirit,” said Rabbi Birdie Becker of Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel.
Ringing in year 5777
Rosh Hashana will observed over three days, from sunset on Sunday to nightfall on Tuesday.
The Jewish community will join together beginning at 7:30 p.m. Sunday for Erev Rosh Hashana (the evening before Rosh Hashana) services.
All Jewish holidays begin at sunset and end at nightfall because the Jewish calendar follows a lunar cycle. The new year being celebrated is 5777.
On Rosh Hashana morning (Monday), Temple Emanuel services will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon. All services at Temple Emanuel are open to members and nonmembers alike.
Special prayers are said. Special melodies are chanted. Special Torah portions are read.
The Monday morning ceremony features the traditional 100 blasts from the shofar (a horn made from a kosher animal).
“The shofar was heard when the Torah was received at Mount Sinai. It was sounded in ancient times as a wake-up call for battle, for announcing holidays and for anointing kings,” Becker said. “The various calls sounded this day represent the yells, cries and sobs that awaken us to do the tasks required to make repairs to ourselves and to our world; the world of which God is King.”
At the conclusion of the service, sometime after noon, temple members will repair to Lake Clara at Mineral Palace Park, where they will observe the Taslich (casting off). During the ritual, members empty their pockets into an active body of water, symbolically casting off the sins of the previous year.
“This allows you to start the new year fresh and clean and pure,” Becker said. “It’s like a rebirth.”
The occasion also is celebrated by eating apples dipped in honey.
“That is a symbol of wishing each other a sweet new year,” Becker said.
Holiday meaning
Religious services for Rosh Hashana focus on the concept of God’s sovereignty, according to Shimon Apisdorf, author of “Rosh Hashana Yom Kippur Survival Kit.”
When it is said God sits in judgment of us, the phrase sounds intimidating. In reality, it is something totally different, Apisdorf said.
“It is saying he cares about each individual, how they are, how they live. Are they living up to their potential? It is a sign of his love and it is empowering,” Apisdorf said.
Every Rosh Hashana is, in fact, a vote of confidence from God in our potential. It also provides an opportunity to unlock more of the gifts God has given us, Apisdorf said.
On Rosh Hashana, Jews not only ask for life, Apisdorf said, they strive to be people who embrace the kinds of values, ideals, and choices that will fill their days with life: with meaning, with goodness and with spirituality.
CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/BRYAN KELSEN
Rabbi Birdie Becker holds a shofar that is used as part of the Rosh Hashana services
at Temple Emanuel in Pueblo. Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, begins at sunset on Sunday.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Rosh Hashana observance
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sunday and
9:30 a.m. to noon on Monday
WHERE: Temple Emanuel, 1325 N. Grand Ave.
[email protected]
Pueblo’s Jewish community to celebrate arrival of the new year
By Mike Spence The Pueblo Chieftain
Published: September 30, 2016; Last modified: September 30, 2016 11:30PM
http://www.chieftain.com/life/religion/5151074-120/hashana-rosh-jewish-god
Pueblo’s Jewish community to celebrate arrival of the new year
By Mike Spence The Pueblo Chieftain
Published: September 30, 2016; Last modified: September 30, 2016 11:30PM
At sunset on Sunday, Jews around the world will observe Rosh Hashana — the new year in the Jewish calendar — and the beginning of the High Holiday season.
How important is this time of year?
Two of the three major Jewish holidays are held within the first few days of the new year. Rosh Hashana marks the start of the new year. Yom Kippur will be held Oct. 11-12.
Passover, the third major holiday celebrating the Jews’ release from slavery in Egypt, will be observed April 10-18.
Unlike the New Year’s Day Americans celebrate on Jan. 1, that is marked by parties, drinking and too many football games to count, the Jewish new year observance is one of solemnity and introspection.
The new year commemorates the birthday of the world (Yom Harat Olam). It also is known as the Day of Judgment (Yom Hadin).
In preparation for the new year, Jews spend the month leading up to the holiday in self examination of themselves and their actions. During the 10 days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Nori’im), they repent their violations of God’s law and the wrongs they have done to others. During this time, they ask for forgiveness from those they have wronged, as well as offer repentance (t’shuvah) to God.
It’s a chance for Jews to start the new year with a clean slate, just like Adam and Eve when they began life.
“This allows us to repent for the past so that we can focus on the future and begin again with a fresh outlook and renewed spirit,” said Rabbi Birdie Becker of Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel.
Ringing in year 5777
Rosh Hashana will observed over three days, from sunset on Sunday to nightfall on Tuesday.
The Jewish community will join together beginning at 7:30 p.m. Sunday for Erev Rosh Hashana (the evening before Rosh Hashana) services.
All Jewish holidays begin at sunset and end at nightfall because the Jewish calendar follows a lunar cycle. The new year being celebrated is 5777.
On Rosh Hashana morning (Monday), Temple Emanuel services will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon. All services at Temple Emanuel are open to members and nonmembers alike.
Special prayers are said. Special melodies are chanted. Special Torah portions are read.
The Monday morning ceremony features the traditional 100 blasts from the shofar (a horn made from a kosher animal).
“The shofar was heard when the Torah was received at Mount Sinai. It was sounded in ancient times as a wake-up call for battle, for announcing holidays and for anointing kings,” Becker said. “The various calls sounded this day represent the yells, cries and sobs that awaken us to do the tasks required to make repairs to ourselves and to our world; the world of which God is King.”
At the conclusion of the service, sometime after noon, temple members will repair to Lake Clara at Mineral Palace Park, where they will observe the Taslich (casting off). During the ritual, members empty their pockets into an active body of water, symbolically casting off the sins of the previous year.
“This allows you to start the new year fresh and clean and pure,” Becker said. “It’s like a rebirth.”
The occasion also is celebrated by eating apples dipped in honey.
“That is a symbol of wishing each other a sweet new year,” Becker said.
Holiday meaning
Religious services for Rosh Hashana focus on the concept of God’s sovereignty, according to Shimon Apisdorf, author of “Rosh Hashana Yom Kippur Survival Kit.”
When it is said God sits in judgment of us, the phrase sounds intimidating. In reality, it is something totally different, Apisdorf said.
“It is saying he cares about each individual, how they are, how they live. Are they living up to their potential? It is a sign of his love and it is empowering,” Apisdorf said.
Every Rosh Hashana is, in fact, a vote of confidence from God in our potential. It also provides an opportunity to unlock more of the gifts God has given us, Apisdorf said.
On Rosh Hashana, Jews not only ask for life, Apisdorf said, they strive to be people who embrace the kinds of values, ideals, and choices that will fill their days with life: with meaning, with goodness and with spirituality.
CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/BRYAN KELSEN
Rabbi Birdie Becker holds a shofar that is used as part of the Rosh Hashana services
at Temple Emanuel in Pueblo. Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, begins at sunset on Sunday.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Rosh Hashana observance
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sunday and
9:30 a.m. to noon on Monday
WHERE: Temple Emanuel, 1325 N. Grand Ave.
[email protected]
Hanukkah begins on Sunday (written from this website's Chanukah information)
BY JON POMPIA
http://pueblochieftain.co.newsmemory.com/publink.php?shareid=31cf996a3
Pueblo Chieftain | Page B01 Saturday, 5 December 2015
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
Hanukkah — also known as Chanukah, the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication — is the Jewish holiday that commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.
It is observed for eight nights and days starting on the 25th day of Kislev, according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar.
Per its name, the festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched menorah or Hanukiah. Each night of the holiday sees one additional light, progressing to eight on the final night.
The first light of the Hanukiah this year will occur Sunday. Locally, Temple Emanuel, 1325 North Grand Ave., will host its annual Chanukah party at 6 p.m., Friday to celebrate the sixth night of Hanukkah.
The ceremony will be marked by potato latkes, candle lighting, song and a play by the children of the Herzog Family Religious School. Those attending are requested to bring a vegetarian or dairy dish to share, along with a nonperishable food item for a food drive. Those of all faiths are welcome to attend.
Like many stories, the Hanukkah tale begins long ago and far away.
“In fact, around 2,200 years ago and almost directly on the other side of our world,” according to Rabbi Birdie Becker of Temple Emanuel.
Alexander the Great had conquered all the lands between Greece and India. In the center of that land was Judea, which served as a corridor between Syria and Babylon in the north, and Egypt in the south.
“Under Alexander, religious freedom existed,” Becker said.
“The Jews paid their taxes and followed the law of the land, but they also were allowed to keep Jewish law.”
After Alexander’s death, his kingdom was divided and eventually, the Greek king of Syria, Antiochus IV or Antiochus Epiphanes, came to power. Far from being a proponent of autonomy, the new king demanded that everyone speak the Greek language, adopt the Greek culture and worship Greek gods.
Said Becker, “As would happen so often in our history, the Jews were forbidden to practice brit milah (circumcision), observe Shabbat (the Sabbath day), or pray to their only God.”
A few years after taking power, Antiochus Epiphane had an idol of Zeus erected in the Temple in Jerusalem, sacrificed swine on the altar, poured out the sanctified oil and stole the Temple’s special vessels and ornaments.
Additionally, a decree was issued to erect idols in every town throughout the land and the Jews were ordered to sacrifice and bow to the idols.
“Some gave in and adopted the ways of Hellenism, but many resisted and lost their lives,” Becker said.
Mattathias Hasmon, the priest of Modin, performed the Jewish religious rites. Upon viewing the Temple desecration, Mattathias became enraged. Raising a sword he shouted, “All for God, follow me.” He and his five sons then retreated into the hillside caves that surrounded Jerusalem.
Soon, they were joined by Jews from other villages.
As Mattathias was elderly, he appointed his son Judah to lead band of rebels. Judah and his followers became known as the Maccabees (the Hebrew word for “hammer”), a reference to the guerrilla warfare waged against the Seleucid army.
The battles wore on for three years, which took its toll on the army. Divided by fighting on other fronts and discouraged at being pulverized by the Jews, the army retreated from the Temple in Jerusalem.
Returning to their holy city and Temple, the Jews found it in ruins.
“So they cleaned, purified and got ready to rededicate the Temple and altar,” Becker said.
As part of this, the Jews had to rekindle the ner tamid (eternal light), also known as the menorah. According to the Books of Maccabees, only a single container of oil was found — merely enough to burn for one day.
On the 25th of Kislev, three years after the decree from Antiochus, the Temple was rededicated and the menorah lit.
“For eight days the people celebrated, remembering the holidayof Sukkot that they had missed because of the war,” Becker said.
“Miraculously, the lamp continued to burn for all eight days, after which time the new oil was ready.”
In order to remember the Temple miracle, it was decreed that the Jews should light lights every year. This was the Chag HaOr — The Festival of Lights.
Over time, the holiday’s name became Hanukkah, a reference to the dedication of the Jews to retain their way of life and belief in God, and for the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.
BY JON POMPIA
http://pueblochieftain.co.newsmemory.com/publink.php?shareid=31cf996a3
Pueblo Chieftain | Page B01 Saturday, 5 December 2015
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
Hanukkah — also known as Chanukah, the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication — is the Jewish holiday that commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.
It is observed for eight nights and days starting on the 25th day of Kislev, according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar.
Per its name, the festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched menorah or Hanukiah. Each night of the holiday sees one additional light, progressing to eight on the final night.
The first light of the Hanukiah this year will occur Sunday. Locally, Temple Emanuel, 1325 North Grand Ave., will host its annual Chanukah party at 6 p.m., Friday to celebrate the sixth night of Hanukkah.
The ceremony will be marked by potato latkes, candle lighting, song and a play by the children of the Herzog Family Religious School. Those attending are requested to bring a vegetarian or dairy dish to share, along with a nonperishable food item for a food drive. Those of all faiths are welcome to attend.
Like many stories, the Hanukkah tale begins long ago and far away.
“In fact, around 2,200 years ago and almost directly on the other side of our world,” according to Rabbi Birdie Becker of Temple Emanuel.
Alexander the Great had conquered all the lands between Greece and India. In the center of that land was Judea, which served as a corridor between Syria and Babylon in the north, and Egypt in the south.
“Under Alexander, religious freedom existed,” Becker said.
“The Jews paid their taxes and followed the law of the land, but they also were allowed to keep Jewish law.”
After Alexander’s death, his kingdom was divided and eventually, the Greek king of Syria, Antiochus IV or Antiochus Epiphanes, came to power. Far from being a proponent of autonomy, the new king demanded that everyone speak the Greek language, adopt the Greek culture and worship Greek gods.
Said Becker, “As would happen so often in our history, the Jews were forbidden to practice brit milah (circumcision), observe Shabbat (the Sabbath day), or pray to their only God.”
A few years after taking power, Antiochus Epiphane had an idol of Zeus erected in the Temple in Jerusalem, sacrificed swine on the altar, poured out the sanctified oil and stole the Temple’s special vessels and ornaments.
Additionally, a decree was issued to erect idols in every town throughout the land and the Jews were ordered to sacrifice and bow to the idols.
“Some gave in and adopted the ways of Hellenism, but many resisted and lost their lives,” Becker said.
Mattathias Hasmon, the priest of Modin, performed the Jewish religious rites. Upon viewing the Temple desecration, Mattathias became enraged. Raising a sword he shouted, “All for God, follow me.” He and his five sons then retreated into the hillside caves that surrounded Jerusalem.
Soon, they were joined by Jews from other villages.
As Mattathias was elderly, he appointed his son Judah to lead band of rebels. Judah and his followers became known as the Maccabees (the Hebrew word for “hammer”), a reference to the guerrilla warfare waged against the Seleucid army.
The battles wore on for three years, which took its toll on the army. Divided by fighting on other fronts and discouraged at being pulverized by the Jews, the army retreated from the Temple in Jerusalem.
Returning to their holy city and Temple, the Jews found it in ruins.
“So they cleaned, purified and got ready to rededicate the Temple and altar,” Becker said.
As part of this, the Jews had to rekindle the ner tamid (eternal light), also known as the menorah. According to the Books of Maccabees, only a single container of oil was found — merely enough to burn for one day.
On the 25th of Kislev, three years after the decree from Antiochus, the Temple was rededicated and the menorah lit.
“For eight days the people celebrated, remembering the holidayof Sukkot that they had missed because of the war,” Becker said.
“Miraculously, the lamp continued to burn for all eight days, after which time the new oil was ready.”
In order to remember the Temple miracle, it was decreed that the Jews should light lights every year. This was the Chag HaOr — The Festival of Lights.
Over time, the holiday’s name became Hanukkah, a reference to the dedication of the Jews to retain their way of life and belief in God, and for the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.
http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Default/Skins/TrinidadA/Client.asp?skin=TrinidadA&AW=1431929709207&AppName=2
Reform Jews to gather for community Shabbaton on May 15-16 Union for Reform Judaism
Courtesy photo Temple Aaron, Trinidad, Colo
Reform Jews and guests from the Rocky Mountain area are invited to celebrate Shabbat at the “Shabbaton on the Santa Fe Trail,” on May 15 and 16, 2015 at Temple Aaron, 407 South Maple Street, Trinidad, Colo. Sponsored by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Rocky Mountain and Southwest Communities, the event features Shabbat worship, a keynote by University of New Mexico Professor Emeritus Noel Pugach, break-out sessions and networking opportunities. The $36 fee covers lunch and the program, which focuses on Jews of the Southwest. To register online go to https://goo.gl/yrH6MM.
Pugach’s topic is Jewish Pioneering in the Southwest including recent discoveries about Jews in ranching. Break-out sessions will be led by award-winning author Sharon Niederman from Raton and Hal Aqua, a music director/song leader and leader of The Lost Tribe, a nouveau Klezmer band in Denver.
“This very special Sabbath event celebrates the history and future of Jews in this region of the U.S. Collaborating together enables us to increase the outreach ability of these individual congregations to engage even more members of the local Jewish community,” said Helen Atlas-Acuna, one of the event planners. “We appreciate URJ Communities joining forces to help bring the Shabbaton to life. We welcome the participation of everyone in the local community who wants to connect with us. It’s going to be a thrilling experience for us all to learn, pray, and sing together.”
Rabbi John Feldman, who serves as a part-time Rabbi for Temple Aaron will lead Erev Shabbat services Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Temple. Following Torah study at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Rabbi Birdie Becker from Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, CO will lead Shabbat morning services at Temple Aaron.
Afternoon activities will be at the Trinidad State Junior College where the speakers and break-out sessions will take place. Michael Atlas-Acuna and Helen of Pueblo are event planners along with local arrangements planners Randy and Tammy Rubin of Raton. Vivian Gealer, from Phoenix along with Lin Sunshine, from Denver along with Haim Ainsworth from the Phoenix area serve as event chairs and event planner respectively as well.
The Shabbaton is a joint project of the Rocky Mountain and Southwest URJ Communities. URJ Communities are lay-lead geographically based groupings within North America which help to connect URJ affiliated congregations to share best practices, resources, and create a network of support for each other. The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) is a dynamic network of Reform Jewish congregations, lay leaders, clergy and professionals, which represent the largest and fastest growing constituency of Jews in North America. Our progressive, inclusive approach unites thousands of years of Jewish tradition and values with modern Jewish experience to strengthen Judaism today and for future generations. Through programs, consultations, resources, and networking opportunities provided by the URJ, we help strengthen our nearly 900-member congregations, welcome spiritual seekers through audacious hospitality, engage Jewish youth, deepen Jewish learning, energize worship, pursue tikkun olam (social justice), connect with Israe, and develop inspired leadership.
Reform Jews to gather for community Shabbaton on May 15-16 Union for Reform Judaism
Courtesy photo Temple Aaron, Trinidad, Colo
Reform Jews and guests from the Rocky Mountain area are invited to celebrate Shabbat at the “Shabbaton on the Santa Fe Trail,” on May 15 and 16, 2015 at Temple Aaron, 407 South Maple Street, Trinidad, Colo. Sponsored by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Rocky Mountain and Southwest Communities, the event features Shabbat worship, a keynote by University of New Mexico Professor Emeritus Noel Pugach, break-out sessions and networking opportunities. The $36 fee covers lunch and the program, which focuses on Jews of the Southwest. To register online go to https://goo.gl/yrH6MM.
Pugach’s topic is Jewish Pioneering in the Southwest including recent discoveries about Jews in ranching. Break-out sessions will be led by award-winning author Sharon Niederman from Raton and Hal Aqua, a music director/song leader and leader of The Lost Tribe, a nouveau Klezmer band in Denver.
“This very special Sabbath event celebrates the history and future of Jews in this region of the U.S. Collaborating together enables us to increase the outreach ability of these individual congregations to engage even more members of the local Jewish community,” said Helen Atlas-Acuna, one of the event planners. “We appreciate URJ Communities joining forces to help bring the Shabbaton to life. We welcome the participation of everyone in the local community who wants to connect with us. It’s going to be a thrilling experience for us all to learn, pray, and sing together.”
Rabbi John Feldman, who serves as a part-time Rabbi for Temple Aaron will lead Erev Shabbat services Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the Temple. Following Torah study at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Rabbi Birdie Becker from Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, CO will lead Shabbat morning services at Temple Aaron.
Afternoon activities will be at the Trinidad State Junior College where the speakers and break-out sessions will take place. Michael Atlas-Acuna and Helen of Pueblo are event planners along with local arrangements planners Randy and Tammy Rubin of Raton. Vivian Gealer, from Phoenix along with Lin Sunshine, from Denver along with Haim Ainsworth from the Phoenix area serve as event chairs and event planner respectively as well.
The Shabbaton is a joint project of the Rocky Mountain and Southwest URJ Communities. URJ Communities are lay-lead geographically based groupings within North America which help to connect URJ affiliated congregations to share best practices, resources, and create a network of support for each other. The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) is a dynamic network of Reform Jewish congregations, lay leaders, clergy and professionals, which represent the largest and fastest growing constituency of Jews in North America. Our progressive, inclusive approach unites thousands of years of Jewish tradition and values with modern Jewish experience to strengthen Judaism today and for future generations. Through programs, consultations, resources, and networking opportunities provided by the URJ, we help strengthen our nearly 900-member congregations, welcome spiritual seekers through audacious hospitality, engage Jewish youth, deepen Jewish learning, energize worship, pursue tikkun olam (social justice), connect with Israe, and develop inspired leadership.
http://www.chieftain.com/life/3579267-120/event-temple-shabbat-trinidad
HomeLife Trinidad temple hosts special event by jon pompia the pueblo chieftain Published: May 8, 2015; Last modified: May 8, 2015 11:30PM Reform Jews and guests from the Rocky Mountain area are invited to celebrate Shabbat at the “Shabbaton on the Santa Fe Trail,” on Friday and May 16 at Temple Aaron, 407 S. Maple St., in Trinidad.
Sponsored by the Union for Reform Judaism’s Rocky Mountain and Southwest communities, the event features Shabbat worship, a keynote by University of New Mexico professor emeritus Noel Pugach, breakout sessions and networking opportunities. Pugach’s topic is “Jewish Pioneering in the Southwest,” which includes recent discoveries about Jews in ranching. Breakout sessions will be led by award-winning author Sharon Niederman and a music director/song leader and leader of The Lost Tribe, a nouveau Klezmer band in Denver, Hal Aqua.
“This very special Sabbath event celebrates the history and future of Jews in this region. Collaborating enables us to increase the outreach ability of these individual congregations to engage even more members of the local Jewish community,” said Helen Atlas-Acuna, one of the event planners.
Rabbi John Feldman, who serves as a part-time Rabbi for Temple Aaron, will lead Erev Shabbat services at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Following Torah study at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Rabbi Birdie Becker from Temple Emanuel in Pueblo will lead Shabbat morning services. Afternoon activities will be at Trinidad State Junior College. The $36 fee covers lunch and the program. Register online at https://goo.gl/yrH6MM. For more information, call 847 239-696 or write [email protected].
Page 1 □ 110 South La Crosse Ave. □ Pueblo, Colorado 81001 □ 719.561.0880 □ [email protected] □ www.fuspueblo.org
CHALICE FLAME
First Unitarian Church Society of Pueblo
MARCH 2015 MEMBER OF THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION VOLUME XV, ISSUE III
MARCH 29: RABBI BIRDIE BECKER
"Celebrating Pesach/Passover"
Rabbi Birdie Becker, cantor and rabbi of Temple Emanuel here in Pueblo, will talk about the history and meaning of Pesach and how it is celebrated today. You probably know it as Passover, the important commemoration of the liberation of the Israelites under Moses from slavery by the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt, the Bible story told in the Book of Exodus.
Service Leader: Louise Burg
http://www.fuspueblo.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Chalice-Flame-March-2015.pdf
College memorializes Holocaust
http://www.chieftain.com/news/pueblo/2511464-120/holocaust-becker-candles-memorial#.U1_KHuPGH8Q.facebook May 6, 2014
CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/CHRIS MCLEAN
Rabbi Roberta Becker lights candles during a memorial at Colorado State University-Pueblo on Monday for the victims of the Holocaust.
By Gayle perez The Pueblo Chieftain
Published: April 29, 2014; Last modified: April 29, 2014 09:34AM
The six candles burning brightly in the dimly lit room at Colorado State University-Pueblo were a stark reminder of the 6 million people murdered in the Holocaust.
“Imagine each of these candles being 6 million candles, each containing the name of a Jew and then attached to each of those is another person who gave their life,” Rabbi Roberta Becker told a crowd of about 30 people gathered Monday in the Aspen Leaf room of the Occhiato University Center for a memorial service in observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Becker said those 6 million people were fathers and mothers, orphans and widowers.
“Each suffered and each and every one of them were murdered. They are lost forever, each extinguished. Their lives gone,” she said as she blew out each candle one-by-one.
“We are now their light. Only by remembering them can they live.”
Holocaust Remembrance Day or “Yom Hashoah” is a Jewish day of remembrance of those killed during the Holocaust from 1933-45.
The day is a reminder to the world to never let such an event happen again.
CSU-Pueblo observed the day with several events from the memorial service and personal testimony to poetry readings and the showing of a film.
The solemn memorial service was filled with prayer and song and symbolic lighting of the six candles.
After lighting each candle, Becker prayed for those murdered in the Holocaust including the righteous believers, the rebels, the children, the gentiles and the freedom fighters.
Although it’s been 70 years since the Holocaust ended, Becker reminded the crowd that genocide continues throughout the world.
“We must some day learn to accept differences,” she said, “and know that we can share this planet.”
[email protected]
http://www.chieftain.com/news/pueblo/2511464-120/holocaust-becker-candles-memorial#.U1_KHuPGH8Q.facebook May 6, 2014
CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/CHRIS MCLEAN
Rabbi Roberta Becker lights candles during a memorial at Colorado State University-Pueblo on Monday for the victims of the Holocaust.
By Gayle perez The Pueblo Chieftain
Published: April 29, 2014; Last modified: April 29, 2014 09:34AM
The six candles burning brightly in the dimly lit room at Colorado State University-Pueblo were a stark reminder of the 6 million people murdered in the Holocaust.
“Imagine each of these candles being 6 million candles, each containing the name of a Jew and then attached to each of those is another person who gave their life,” Rabbi Roberta Becker told a crowd of about 30 people gathered Monday in the Aspen Leaf room of the Occhiato University Center for a memorial service in observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Becker said those 6 million people were fathers and mothers, orphans and widowers.
“Each suffered and each and every one of them were murdered. They are lost forever, each extinguished. Their lives gone,” she said as she blew out each candle one-by-one.
“We are now their light. Only by remembering them can they live.”
Holocaust Remembrance Day or “Yom Hashoah” is a Jewish day of remembrance of those killed during the Holocaust from 1933-45.
The day is a reminder to the world to never let such an event happen again.
CSU-Pueblo observed the day with several events from the memorial service and personal testimony to poetry readings and the showing of a film.
The solemn memorial service was filled with prayer and song and symbolic lighting of the six candles.
After lighting each candle, Becker prayed for those murdered in the Holocaust including the righteous believers, the rebels, the children, the gentiles and the freedom fighters.
Although it’s been 70 years since the Holocaust ended, Becker reminded the crowd that genocide continues throughout the world.
“We must some day learn to accept differences,” she said, “and know that we can share this planet.”
[email protected]
AJRCA Achievements
The Latest Achievements, Honors, & Recognition September 2013
Dear Friends,
It is with great pride that I inform you of the latest achievements and recognition garnered by the Academy and those affiliated with it. May we all get much nachas from these accomplishments and may the Academy and all of those associated with it continue to go from strength to strength.
Best regards,
Rabbi Laura Owens, '08
Chairman, Board of Directors
Rabbi Birdie Becker,'10 is the author of the newly published book, Conversations at the Well: Where Modern Life and Ancient Stories Meet (Tattered Cover Press, July 2013). The book is described as offering "a modern setting to convey foundational teachings of sacred text with humor and wisdom. Reflecting a time when stories passed from generation to generation in a loving context, twenty-first century characters reach into the be'er (the "well" in Genesis) bringing life and relevance to ancient stories. Jealousy, forgiveness, family conflict, facing death, making vows and other timeless issues are explored as Torah, Midrash and song are interwoven through eight short stories." The book also includes sheet music. Rabbi Becker is the spiritual leader of Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colorado.
The Latest Achievements, Honors, & Recognition September 2013
Dear Friends,
It is with great pride that I inform you of the latest achievements and recognition garnered by the Academy and those affiliated with it. May we all get much nachas from these accomplishments and may the Academy and all of those associated with it continue to go from strength to strength.
Best regards,
Rabbi Laura Owens, '08
Chairman, Board of Directors
Rabbi Birdie Becker,'10 is the author of the newly published book, Conversations at the Well: Where Modern Life and Ancient Stories Meet (Tattered Cover Press, July 2013). The book is described as offering "a modern setting to convey foundational teachings of sacred text with humor and wisdom. Reflecting a time when stories passed from generation to generation in a loving context, twenty-first century characters reach into the be'er (the "well" in Genesis) bringing life and relevance to ancient stories. Jealousy, forgiveness, family conflict, facing death, making vows and other timeless issues are explored as Torah, Midrash and song are interwoven through eight short stories." The book also includes sheet music. Rabbi Becker is the spiritual leader of Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colorado.
Leadville
Cemetery Cleanup
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Weekend activities begin at 10:00 am with a Shachrit service, followed by an oneg at Temple Israel (at the corner of 4th & Pine, 1 block west of Harrison Avenue). Rabbi Debra Rappaport, from
B’nai Vail Congregation, Rabbi Elliot Baskin, Chaplain at Jewish Family Services, and
Rabbi Birdie Becker will lead services with B’nai B’rith’s restored, 90 year old Polish Torah scroll.
During the early evening, we will serve a non-dairy pot luck dinner and dine with the hungry at St. George Episcopal Church at 5 pm (directly across the street from Temple Israel). Donations to B’nai B’rith Denver to help cover the food and clean up expenses would be greatly appreciated. We’d suggest all volunteers to bring a minimum of five canned goods for the church’s ongoing meals program.
The community is invited to a Havdalah Ceremony and campfire at the Printer Boy Campsite following the pot luck dinner.
Cemetery Cleanup
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Weekend activities begin at 10:00 am with a Shachrit service, followed by an oneg at Temple Israel (at the corner of 4th & Pine, 1 block west of Harrison Avenue). Rabbi Debra Rappaport, from
B’nai Vail Congregation, Rabbi Elliot Baskin, Chaplain at Jewish Family Services, and
Rabbi Birdie Becker will lead services with B’nai B’rith’s restored, 90 year old Polish Torah scroll.
During the early evening, we will serve a non-dairy pot luck dinner and dine with the hungry at St. George Episcopal Church at 5 pm (directly across the street from Temple Israel). Donations to B’nai B’rith Denver to help cover the food and clean up expenses would be greatly appreciated. We’d suggest all volunteers to bring a minimum of five canned goods for the church’s ongoing meals program.
The community is invited to a Havdalah Ceremony and campfire at the Printer Boy Campsite following the pot luck dinner.
REFORM JUDAISM.ORG
Reform Judaism in Your Life
The Union for Reform Judaism has shared my 3.4.13 blog on their website:http://goo.gl/eUdiQ
Published: 3/19/2013
Categories: Jewish Holidays, Passover, Jewish Life, Family, Practice, Lifecycle and Rituals, Religious Education, Prayers & Blessings, Spirituality
Tags:Passover, poetry, B'nai Mitzvah
Rabbi Birdie Becker has led Reform congregation Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, CO, for 10 years. She has served as a community educator and performer throughout the Midwest and Rocky Mountain Region and is president of the Rocky Mountain Cantors Association. She is a cellist for the violin-cello duo "Apples and Honey" and composer and performer of folk and liturgical music. She blogs at The Many Faces and Loves of Rabbi Birdie.
Published: 3/19/2013
Categories: Jewish Holidays, Passover, Jewish Life, Family, Practice, Lifecycle and Rituals, Religious Education, Prayers & Blessings, Spirituality
Tags:Passover, poetry, B'nai Mitzvah
Rabbi Birdie Becker has led Reform congregation Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, CO, for 10 years. She has served as a community educator and performer throughout the Midwest and Rocky Mountain Region and is president of the Rocky Mountain Cantors Association. She is a cellist for the violin-cello duo "Apples and Honey" and composer and performer of folk and liturgical music. She blogs at The Many Faces and Loves of Rabbi Birdie.
Living In Awe
Supporting a soulful approach to living.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
http://fromthezafu.blogspot.com/2010/12/speak-no-evil.html
Loving Speech
A long time ago or just the other day, in a sprawling town or a small village, a gossiping man or a tale~telling woman goes to see the rabbi. “On a day when the wind howls,” directs the rabbi, “take a feather pillow to the top of the highest hill. Once there, slice the pillow through, shake it until all its feathers have blown away, and come see me again.”
The individual does as directed and returns to the rabbi. “Now go find every feather,” instructs the rabbi, “and gather them together once more.” “But that’s impossible!” the person protests. “I doubt I can find even one feather, let alone all of them, for the wind has flung them far and wide.”
“Your words, too, are feathers in the wind,” replies the wise teacher. “Once spoken, they are released in many directions and you can never pull them back again.”
* * * * * *
This traditional wisdom tale speaks to the Jewish teaching on lashon hara, which translates as “evil tongue”, and refers to speaking unconsciously or with ill intent.
“Lashon hara is a very complex phenomenon,” explains Rabbi Birdie Becker of Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel. “It doesn’t simply refer to speaking ill of others. It’s also about not being party to such talk by listening to it.” Jewish teachings are quite clear on this point. In listening to disparaging speech, we offer ourselves as the necessary platform for its manifestation and are, thus, implicated as much as the speaker.
“Lashon hara doesn’t only refer to speech about others,” Rabbi Becker continues, “Denigrating oneself is not acceptable either.”
Proverbs, that most pithy of all the books of the Tanakh, the Jewish name for what Christians call the Old Testament, puts it this way: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Just like the babbling person in this tale, we often open our mouths without discernment, and what flies out can enliven or destroy. But just as the person in today's tale, we can turn toward wisdom by choosing our words with care, aware of their possible consequences.
This is not an easy task. Living in community with others gives rise to conflict~~both within us and around us~~which must be addressed for resolution to occur. But true peace cannot come or be sustained without respect. Our charge, Rabbi Becker reminds us, is “to keep the level of conversation moving always upward.”
I love that line! In the days since I first heard it, I've seen words spiraling upward, scented smoke swirling from a lit stick of incense.
We can interact with our fellows civilly, even during periods of strife, by holding a compassionate awareness of our essential kinship. Not only are we each trying to negotiate this perplexing human journey, but the very flaw we recognize so readily in another likely lies within us as well, though perhaps in a slightly different form.
If every human being carries a spark of the Divine, then to defame, belittle or disregard someone also defames, belittles and disregards the Divine. In speaking unconsciously or with malicious intent, we also actively reject our own true potential and, in the process, do a disservice to the gift that is our life.
We bear responsibility for these pillows of ours. They contain all that we are, all that we can be. Our every word and deed become feathers on the wind, the gift of ourselves to the world. What shall we offer, and what will become of these feathers of ours?
As another Jewish sage put it, “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. The answer is blowin’ in the wind.”
Speak well, listen well, be well!
Loanne Marie
PS. This essay had an interesting developmental process. A couple of months ago, reader Giselle Massi, sent me a link to an article she had published in the online magazine, The Edge. In it, she referred to the concept of lashon hara, without naming it. I was intrigued and spoke with a Jewish friend of mine, Judi, who supplied me the name along with her thoughts on the subject. Thus began a flurry of research, leading me at last to Rabbi Becker. Thanks to all of you!
PPS. For a Buddhist spin on lashon hara, see Thich Nhat Hanh's Fourth Mindfulness Training, in which he expands on the Buddha's fourth precept which prohibits lying.
Posted by Leia Marie at Saturday, December 11, 2010
Supporting a soulful approach to living.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
http://fromthezafu.blogspot.com/2010/12/speak-no-evil.html
Loving Speech
A long time ago or just the other day, in a sprawling town or a small village, a gossiping man or a tale~telling woman goes to see the rabbi. “On a day when the wind howls,” directs the rabbi, “take a feather pillow to the top of the highest hill. Once there, slice the pillow through, shake it until all its feathers have blown away, and come see me again.”
The individual does as directed and returns to the rabbi. “Now go find every feather,” instructs the rabbi, “and gather them together once more.” “But that’s impossible!” the person protests. “I doubt I can find even one feather, let alone all of them, for the wind has flung them far and wide.”
“Your words, too, are feathers in the wind,” replies the wise teacher. “Once spoken, they are released in many directions and you can never pull them back again.”
* * * * * *
This traditional wisdom tale speaks to the Jewish teaching on lashon hara, which translates as “evil tongue”, and refers to speaking unconsciously or with ill intent.
“Lashon hara is a very complex phenomenon,” explains Rabbi Birdie Becker of Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel. “It doesn’t simply refer to speaking ill of others. It’s also about not being party to such talk by listening to it.” Jewish teachings are quite clear on this point. In listening to disparaging speech, we offer ourselves as the necessary platform for its manifestation and are, thus, implicated as much as the speaker.
“Lashon hara doesn’t only refer to speech about others,” Rabbi Becker continues, “Denigrating oneself is not acceptable either.”
Proverbs, that most pithy of all the books of the Tanakh, the Jewish name for what Christians call the Old Testament, puts it this way: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Just like the babbling person in this tale, we often open our mouths without discernment, and what flies out can enliven or destroy. But just as the person in today's tale, we can turn toward wisdom by choosing our words with care, aware of their possible consequences.
This is not an easy task. Living in community with others gives rise to conflict~~both within us and around us~~which must be addressed for resolution to occur. But true peace cannot come or be sustained without respect. Our charge, Rabbi Becker reminds us, is “to keep the level of conversation moving always upward.”
I love that line! In the days since I first heard it, I've seen words spiraling upward, scented smoke swirling from a lit stick of incense.
We can interact with our fellows civilly, even during periods of strife, by holding a compassionate awareness of our essential kinship. Not only are we each trying to negotiate this perplexing human journey, but the very flaw we recognize so readily in another likely lies within us as well, though perhaps in a slightly different form.
If every human being carries a spark of the Divine, then to defame, belittle or disregard someone also defames, belittles and disregards the Divine. In speaking unconsciously or with malicious intent, we also actively reject our own true potential and, in the process, do a disservice to the gift that is our life.
We bear responsibility for these pillows of ours. They contain all that we are, all that we can be. Our every word and deed become feathers on the wind, the gift of ourselves to the world. What shall we offer, and what will become of these feathers of ours?
As another Jewish sage put it, “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. The answer is blowin’ in the wind.”
Speak well, listen well, be well!
Loanne Marie
PS. This essay had an interesting developmental process. A couple of months ago, reader Giselle Massi, sent me a link to an article she had published in the online magazine, The Edge. In it, she referred to the concept of lashon hara, without naming it. I was intrigued and spoke with a Jewish friend of mine, Judi, who supplied me the name along with her thoughts on the subject. Thus began a flurry of research, leading me at last to Rabbi Becker. Thanks to all of you!
PPS. For a Buddhist spin on lashon hara, see Thich Nhat Hanh's Fourth Mindfulness Training, in which he expands on the Buddha's fourth precept which prohibits lying.
Posted by Leia Marie at Saturday, December 11, 2010
CAJE Board Spotlight: Rabbi Birdie Becker
Posted by admin
on September 4, 2012
At CAJE, we wouldn’t be able to do the powerful and innovative things we do without the support of a group of strong and personally invested board members, and we want the world to know what amazing things they’re doing, thinking, and saying. So we’ve created the CAJE Board Spotlight, where we’ll feature the who, what, when, where, why, and how of our CAJE board members. Also, be sure to check out our Youth Spotlight, where we feature the young people of our Colorado Jewish Community.
If Rabbi Roberta “Birdie “Becker had to write a six-word biography, it would say:
Mother, wife, friend, loves living/learning. But this mini-bio offers just a small piece of the colorful and experienced background of one of CAJE’s newest board members and the rabbi for the past decade of Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colorado.
Born in Illinois, Rabbi Becker grew up across the river in St. Louis, Missouri. When Rabbi Becker and her three siblings were born, she said, her mother would travel across the river into Illinois because her uncle was a physician there. With a master in Rabbinic Studies and Ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in California, she also holds a bachelor’s degree, masters in social work, and master’s in education from the University of Missouri and a PhD in education from Summit University in Louisiana. She has lived all over the state of Colorado, as well as Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio where in a past life she had a variety of unique experiences as a medical social worker, musician, dancer, choreographer, and administrator!
For Rabbi Becker, Passover takes the (chametz-free) cake as her favorite hoilday. Rabbi Becker describes why:
When we read Parshat Bo, I begin the cleaning process. By the time we actually get to the seder, I have cleaned not just the house, but I’ve reconnected with years of memories: preparing with my mother. The fun of bedikat chametz (searching for leavened crumbs like bread or cookies) with my children, cooking for family and friends, friends gathering in the kitchen to help prepare foods, music, children performing, questions and searching for answers among ourselves and pulling books off the shelves … it’s a lifetime of good memories.”
Rabbi Becker is connected to CAJE’s mission of “making Jewish life sacred through learning” in many ways. She worked previously with CAJE on the annual
programs for 10 years and said that she is primarily a teacher and a student.
Rabbi Becker added, “I love learning in order to pass on correct information. When I can make that information transformative, it is sacred.”
Her most valuable moments as a rabbi, she said, are those in which she can watch people succeed in making transitions — whether it is acquiring knowledge,
learning to lead a service, coming to Torah, or experiencing a life cycle event.
For Rabbi Becker, Jewish education brings substance and sweetness to living — an appropriate choice of words as we prepare our apples and honey for Rosh HaShanah and a sweet new year! And we’d be remiss to not mention that apples and honey hold a special place in Rabbi Becker’s heart — for 23 years she has been playing her cello in a duo with violinist Lisa Appleton, and they are known as “Apples and Honey.”
Rabbi Becker has been married to Jeff for 36 years, and they have two adult children. For more on Rabbi Birdie Becker, head over to the Temple Emanuel website!
on September 4, 2012
At CAJE, we wouldn’t be able to do the powerful and innovative things we do without the support of a group of strong and personally invested board members, and we want the world to know what amazing things they’re doing, thinking, and saying. So we’ve created the CAJE Board Spotlight, where we’ll feature the who, what, when, where, why, and how of our CAJE board members. Also, be sure to check out our Youth Spotlight, where we feature the young people of our Colorado Jewish Community.
If Rabbi Roberta “Birdie “Becker had to write a six-word biography, it would say:
Mother, wife, friend, loves living/learning. But this mini-bio offers just a small piece of the colorful and experienced background of one of CAJE’s newest board members and the rabbi for the past decade of Temple Emanuel in Pueblo, Colorado.
Born in Illinois, Rabbi Becker grew up across the river in St. Louis, Missouri. When Rabbi Becker and her three siblings were born, she said, her mother would travel across the river into Illinois because her uncle was a physician there. With a master in Rabbinic Studies and Ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in California, she also holds a bachelor’s degree, masters in social work, and master’s in education from the University of Missouri and a PhD in education from Summit University in Louisiana. She has lived all over the state of Colorado, as well as Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio where in a past life she had a variety of unique experiences as a medical social worker, musician, dancer, choreographer, and administrator!
For Rabbi Becker, Passover takes the (chametz-free) cake as her favorite hoilday. Rabbi Becker describes why:
When we read Parshat Bo, I begin the cleaning process. By the time we actually get to the seder, I have cleaned not just the house, but I’ve reconnected with years of memories: preparing with my mother. The fun of bedikat chametz (searching for leavened crumbs like bread or cookies) with my children, cooking for family and friends, friends gathering in the kitchen to help prepare foods, music, children performing, questions and searching for answers among ourselves and pulling books off the shelves … it’s a lifetime of good memories.”
Rabbi Becker is connected to CAJE’s mission of “making Jewish life sacred through learning” in many ways. She worked previously with CAJE on the annual
programs for 10 years and said that she is primarily a teacher and a student.
Rabbi Becker added, “I love learning in order to pass on correct information. When I can make that information transformative, it is sacred.”
Her most valuable moments as a rabbi, she said, are those in which she can watch people succeed in making transitions — whether it is acquiring knowledge,
learning to lead a service, coming to Torah, or experiencing a life cycle event.
For Rabbi Becker, Jewish education brings substance and sweetness to living — an appropriate choice of words as we prepare our apples and honey for Rosh HaShanah and a sweet new year! And we’d be remiss to not mention that apples and honey hold a special place in Rabbi Becker’s heart — for 23 years she has been playing her cello in a duo with violinist Lisa Appleton, and they are known as “Apples and Honey.”
Rabbi Becker has been married to Jeff for 36 years, and they have two adult children. For more on Rabbi Birdie Becker, head over to the Temple Emanuel website!
FROM: PUEBLO CHEIFTAIN
ELECTION Faith leaders to monitor polling places
Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2012 4:00 am Faith leaders to monitor polling places By LORETTA SWORD | [email protected] The Pueblo Chieftain
Two statewide organizations are seeking faith leaders to help monitor polling places on Election Day for unfair or illegal behavior.
Together Colorado, Common Cause and other organizations have joined in the nonpartisan effort, which so far involves seven leaders in Pueblo's faith community, according to Marilyn Stranske, a spokeswoman for Together Colorado.
Among the local volunteers are the Rev. Kim James of Wesley United Methodist Church, the Rev. Neema Caughran of the Center for Inner Peace, the Rev. Margaret Redmond of First AME Church, Rabbi Birdie Becker of Temple Emmanuel and activist Larry Howe-Kerr. Similar campaigns are being organized in Greeley and Colorado Springs.
A Together Colorado news release said the organization "has been informed that there will be people stationed at polling places throughout the state trying to challenge eligible voters or to confuse them with false information about their polling places."
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/religion/faith-leaders-to-monitor-polling-places/article_41c0713e-1a55-11e2-880c-0019bb2963f4.html
Two statewide organizations are seeking faith leaders to help monitor polling places on Election Day for unfair or illegal behavior.
Together Colorado, Common Cause and other organizations have joined in the nonpartisan effort, which so far involves seven leaders in Pueblo's faith community, according to Marilyn Stranske, a spokeswoman for Together Colorado.
Among the local volunteers are the Rev. Kim James of Wesley United Methodist Church, the Rev. Neema Caughran of the Center for Inner Peace, the Rev. Margaret Redmond of First AME Church, Rabbi Birdie Becker of Temple Emmanuel and activist Larry Howe-Kerr. Similar campaigns are being organized in Greeley and Colorado Springs.
A Together Colorado news release said the organization "has been informed that there will be people stationed at polling places throughout the state trying to challenge eligible voters or to confuse them with false information about their polling places."
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/religion/faith-leaders-to-monitor-polling-places/article_41c0713e-1a55-11e2-880c-0019bb2963f4.html
INTERMOUNTAIN JEWISH NEWS
Swastikas in Colorado Springs
Thursday, 26 April 2012 10:19 Andrea Jacobs
Vandals hit Temple Beit Torah in Colorado Springs, April 20
VANDALS defaced Beit Torah, a Reform temple in Colorado Springs, with swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti on Friday, April 20, the anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
“Happy 4:20,” a reference to Hitler’s birthday, was spray-painted on the temple’s exterior walls. The front door was also defaced.
The Colorado Springs police originally classified the crime as criminal mischief, but ADL Mountain States Director Scott Levin told the IJN it is now being investigated as a hate crime.
Levin says that he met with the Colorado Springs police on Monday to “make sure they understand that this was a biased, motivated hate crime.
“When a crime is committed against an institution like a Jewish temple, there is no doubt in my mind it fits the legal parameters of Colorado’s hate crime laws,” he says.
“The police have assured me that they are now investigating this incident as such.”
Although no arrests had been made as of press time, Colorado Springs police say they will continue searching for suspects.
“No one has been apprehended and we’re running out of leads,” says Colorado Springs Police Det. Mickey Finn, investigative supervisor for property crimes.
“We can’t say absolutely that this was a hate crime, but that’s the way we’re approaching it.”
Finn says that while nothing suggests the incident at Beit Torah reflects a coordinated effort, “without a suspect in custody it’s impossible to say.”
THE vandalism occurred between 10 p.m. Thursday, April 19, and early Friday morning, April 20.
Beit Torah caretaker Stan Peters, who lives next door to the synagogue, was setting up a garage sale at his home until around 10 p.m. Thursday.
A neighbor who lives across the street noticed the damage before 7 a.m., Friday, and called a friend who attends Beit Torah. The police were also contacted.
Beit Torah Vice President Judith Barthel rushed over with a couple of members as soon as she heard.
Once police examined the crime scene, the group helped Peters remove the offensive slogans and symbols.
“Fortunately it came off easily,” Barthel told the IJN.
The outpouring of support from our community was wonderful,” Barthel says. “We received several sympathetic emails. Even our mailman was upset.”
Over at Temple Shalom, a merged Reform-Conservative congregation founded in 1971, the Brotherhood immediately offered assistance.
“This affirms the fact that there are many people in the world who are good and kind and generous to each other,” Barthel says. “Only a small minority tries to make us feel uncomfortable.”
Beit Torah held regularly scheduled services that Friday evening.
Visiting guest rabbi Birdie Becker of Pueblo’s Emanuel, who intended to give a sermon on the Holocaust, “was able to integrate what had happened to us,” Barthel says.
“It was a beautiful service.”
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.ijn.com/ijn-news/local/3129-swastikas-in-colorado-springs
VANDALS defaced Beit Torah, a Reform temple in Colorado Springs, with swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti on Friday, April 20, the anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
“Happy 4:20,” a reference to Hitler’s birthday, was spray-painted on the temple’s exterior walls. The front door was also defaced.
The Colorado Springs police originally classified the crime as criminal mischief, but ADL Mountain States Director Scott Levin told the IJN it is now being investigated as a hate crime.
Levin says that he met with the Colorado Springs police on Monday to “make sure they understand that this was a biased, motivated hate crime.
“When a crime is committed against an institution like a Jewish temple, there is no doubt in my mind it fits the legal parameters of Colorado’s hate crime laws,” he says.
“The police have assured me that they are now investigating this incident as such.”
Although no arrests had been made as of press time, Colorado Springs police say they will continue searching for suspects.
“No one has been apprehended and we’re running out of leads,” says Colorado Springs Police Det. Mickey Finn, investigative supervisor for property crimes.
“We can’t say absolutely that this was a hate crime, but that’s the way we’re approaching it.”
Finn says that while nothing suggests the incident at Beit Torah reflects a coordinated effort, “without a suspect in custody it’s impossible to say.”
THE vandalism occurred between 10 p.m. Thursday, April 19, and early Friday morning, April 20.
Beit Torah caretaker Stan Peters, who lives next door to the synagogue, was setting up a garage sale at his home until around 10 p.m. Thursday.
A neighbor who lives across the street noticed the damage before 7 a.m., Friday, and called a friend who attends Beit Torah. The police were also contacted.
Beit Torah Vice President Judith Barthel rushed over with a couple of members as soon as she heard.
Once police examined the crime scene, the group helped Peters remove the offensive slogans and symbols.
“Fortunately it came off easily,” Barthel told the IJN.
The outpouring of support from our community was wonderful,” Barthel says. “We received several sympathetic emails. Even our mailman was upset.”
Over at Temple Shalom, a merged Reform-Conservative congregation founded in 1971, the Brotherhood immediately offered assistance.
“This affirms the fact that there are many people in the world who are good and kind and generous to each other,” Barthel says. “Only a small minority tries to make us feel uncomfortable.”
Beit Torah held regularly scheduled services that Friday evening.
Visiting guest rabbi Birdie Becker of Pueblo’s Emanuel, who intended to give a sermon on the Holocaust, “was able to integrate what had happened to us,” Barthel says.
“It was a beautiful service.”
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.ijn.com/ijn-news/local/3129-swastikas-in-colorado-springs
PUEBLO CHEIFTAIN
Passover message: Open your hearts to freedom
About the writer Birdie Becker serves as rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Pueblo.
Posted: Saturday, April 16, 2011 12:00 am
Passover message: Open your hearts to freedom By BIRDIE BECKER The Pueblo Chieftain
There it was, delivered on my computer: “The Practical Guide to Cleaning for Passover.” That should make things quick and easy. But wait! It was 35 pages long, and that was just for the kitchen! Did not our ancestors leave in haste? If I am bogged down in the details of drudgery, how can I feel free? Why are we making this process so complicated? Three good questions for a night of questions and I have more, but let’s tackle these.
Did not our ancestors leave in haste? Our ancestors had a lengthy period of time to prepare themselves to leave. From the first moment Moses and Aaron challenged Pharaoh, saying, “Adonai says, ‘Let my people go,’ ” they could begin to think about leaving. As each plague attacked the Egyptians, they had an opportunity to decide whether they would be among those who stayed or those who fled. The final departure may have been abrupt, while the Egyptians were still in mourning, but let’s face it, how quickly can 600,000 people actually flee?
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/life/local/passover-message-open-your-hearts-to-freedom/article_baf12afa-67d5-11e0-bda4-001cc4c03286.html
Posted: Saturday, April 16, 2011 12:00 am
Passover message: Open your hearts to freedom By BIRDIE BECKER The Pueblo Chieftain
There it was, delivered on my computer: “The Practical Guide to Cleaning for Passover.” That should make things quick and easy. But wait! It was 35 pages long, and that was just for the kitchen! Did not our ancestors leave in haste? If I am bogged down in the details of drudgery, how can I feel free? Why are we making this process so complicated? Three good questions for a night of questions and I have more, but let’s tackle these.
Did not our ancestors leave in haste? Our ancestors had a lengthy period of time to prepare themselves to leave. From the first moment Moses and Aaron challenged Pharaoh, saying, “Adonai says, ‘Let my people go,’ ” they could begin to think about leaving. As each plague attacked the Egyptians, they had an opportunity to decide whether they would be among those who stayed or those who fled. The final departure may have been abrupt, while the Egyptians were still in mourning, but let’s face it, how quickly can 600,000 people actually flee?
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/life/local/passover-message-open-your-hearts-to-freedom/article_baf12afa-67d5-11e0-bda4-001cc4c03286.html
PUEBLO CHEIFTAIN
Judaism offers guidance on speaking — and listening — with integrity
Posted: Saturday, December 11, 2010 12:00 am Judaism offers guidance on speaking — and listening — with integrity By LOANNE MARIE | http://www.in-awe.net The Pueblo Chieftain
A long time ago or just the other day, in a sprawling town or a small village, a gossiping man or a tale-telling woman goes to see the rabbi.
“On a day when the wind howls,” directs the rabbi, “take a feather pillow to the top of the highest hill. Once there, slice the pillow through, shake it until all its feathers have blown away, and come see me again.”
The individual does as directed and returns to the rabbi.
“Now go find every feather,” instructs the rabbi, “and gather them together once more.”
“But that’s impossible!” the person protests. “I doubt I can find even one feather, let alone all of them, for the wind has flung them far and wide.”
“Your words, too, are feathers in the wind,” replies the wise teacher. “Once spoken, they are released in many directions and you can never pull them back again.”
This traditional wisdom tale speaks to the Jewish teaching on lashon hara, which translates as “evil tongue,” and refers to speaking unconsciously or with ill intent.
“Lashon hara is a very complex phenomenon,” explains Rabbi Birdie Becker of Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel. “It doesn’t simply refer to speaking ill of others. It’s also about not being party to such talk by listening to it.”
Jewish teachings are quite clear on this point. In listening to disparaging speech, we offer ourselves as the necessary platform for its manifestation and are, thus, implicated as much as the speaker.
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/life/local/judaism-offers-guidance-on-speaking-and-listening-with-integrity/article_e7115d0a-04cd-11e0-a9a2-001cc4c03286.html
A long time ago or just the other day, in a sprawling town or a small village, a gossiping man or a tale-telling woman goes to see the rabbi.
“On a day when the wind howls,” directs the rabbi, “take a feather pillow to the top of the highest hill. Once there, slice the pillow through, shake it until all its feathers have blown away, and come see me again.”
The individual does as directed and returns to the rabbi.
“Now go find every feather,” instructs the rabbi, “and gather them together once more.”
“But that’s impossible!” the person protests. “I doubt I can find even one feather, let alone all of them, for the wind has flung them far and wide.”
“Your words, too, are feathers in the wind,” replies the wise teacher. “Once spoken, they are released in many directions and you can never pull them back again.”
This traditional wisdom tale speaks to the Jewish teaching on lashon hara, which translates as “evil tongue,” and refers to speaking unconsciously or with ill intent.
“Lashon hara is a very complex phenomenon,” explains Rabbi Birdie Becker of Pueblo’s Temple Emanuel. “It doesn’t simply refer to speaking ill of others. It’s also about not being party to such talk by listening to it.”
Jewish teachings are quite clear on this point. In listening to disparaging speech, we offer ourselves as the necessary platform for its manifestation and are, thus, implicated as much as the speaker.
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/life/local/judaism-offers-guidance-on-speaking-and-listening-with-integrity/article_e7115d0a-04cd-11e0-a9a2-001cc4c03286.html
PUEBLO CHEIFTAIN
Coming full circle
Once impossible dream of youth comes true for new rabbi
COURTESY PHOTO
Roberta 'Birdie' Becker Roberta 'Birdie' Becker, a rabbinical intern at Pueblo's Temple Emmanuel since 2003, was ordained in Los Angeles last weekend.
Posted: Saturday, June 5, 2010 12:00 am Coming full circle By LORETTA SWORD | [email protected] The Pueblo Chieftain
She auditioned for musicals and went off to pursue a social-work degree with visions of being a rabbi dancing in her soul.
It was an impossible dream back then, when girls weren't even allowed to read the Torah.
Forty years later, Roberta "Birdie" Becker joined a growing number of women being ordained in various branches of Judaism.
Her parents, who had encouraged her dream despite its seeming impossibility, didn't live to witness the ceremony last weekend at the Academy for Jewish Religion, Yitzhak Rabin Hillel Center at the University of California-Los Angeles.
But, as the 57-year-old Becker said in her ordination speech, "my heart is dancing, Mom."
The self-described "news junkie" still has
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/life/local/coming-full-circle/article_5b68aa74-7044-11df-9ba4-001cc4c002e0.html
Roberta 'Birdie' Becker Roberta 'Birdie' Becker, a rabbinical intern at Pueblo's Temple Emmanuel since 2003, was ordained in Los Angeles last weekend.
Posted: Saturday, June 5, 2010 12:00 am Coming full circle By LORETTA SWORD | [email protected] The Pueblo Chieftain
She auditioned for musicals and went off to pursue a social-work degree with visions of being a rabbi dancing in her soul.
It was an impossible dream back then, when girls weren't even allowed to read the Torah.
Forty years later, Roberta "Birdie" Becker joined a growing number of women being ordained in various branches of Judaism.
Her parents, who had encouraged her dream despite its seeming impossibility, didn't live to witness the ceremony last weekend at the Academy for Jewish Religion, Yitzhak Rabin Hillel Center at the University of California-Los Angeles.
But, as the 57-year-old Becker said in her ordination speech, "my heart is dancing, Mom."
The self-described "news junkie" still has
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/life/local/coming-full-circle/article_5b68aa74-7044-11df-9ba4-001cc4c002e0.html
AJR, CA Achievements
The Latest Achievements, Honors, and Recognition February 2010
Cantor Birdie Becker, a fifth year Rabbinical student, was noted for her work providing the religious training and officiating at a B'nai Mitzvah ceremony of a married couple in their 70's. The article, "The BEGINNING, at LAST" which detailed the story of Norma and Don Neyman ran in The Pueblo (CO) Chieftain. In August of 2009, Cantor Becker became one of seven "Mile High Storahtelling Mavens." Storahtelling has 70 certified international performers and brings a twist of the arts into the Torah service. Over the past ten years, Storahtelling has provided programming for more than 1,000 synagogues and organizations, reaching more than 100,000 people worldwide.
The Latest Achievements, Honors, and Recognition February 2010
Cantor Birdie Becker, a fifth year Rabbinical student, was noted for her work providing the religious training and officiating at a B'nai Mitzvah ceremony of a married couple in their 70's. The article, "The BEGINNING, at LAST" which detailed the story of Norma and Don Neyman ran in The Pueblo (CO) Chieftain. In August of 2009, Cantor Becker became one of seven "Mile High Storahtelling Mavens." Storahtelling has 70 certified international performers and brings a twist of the arts into the Torah service. Over the past ten years, Storahtelling has provided programming for more than 1,000 synagogues and organizations, reaching more than 100,000 people worldwide.
PUEBLO CHEIFTAIN
Local Jews to dedicate new Torah in 3-day rite
Posted: Saturday, June 2, 2007 12:00 am Local Jews to dedicate new Torah in 3-day rite By Marvin Read The Pueblo Chieftain
The Temple Emanuel Reform Jewish congregation will dedicate its new Torah during a weekend of worship, celebration and education beginning Friday evening.
Members of the 107-year-old Temple Emanuel have been raising funds for the Torah - a hand-lettered rendition, on sheepskin parchment, of the first five books of the Scriptures - for several years.
The event is of interest and open to all members of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, because of the significance of a Torah, the Pentateuch, in both traditions.
Among the events scheduled are the penning of the final 100 letters of the scroll by members of the community. There are said to be about 80,000 Hebrew words in the Torah, spelled out with almost 305,000 characters.
Michael Atlas-Acuna, president of the temple, said that one of 613 Jewish commandments, also known as mitzvot - compiled by 12th-century Jewish rabbi and philosopher Rabbi Maimonides from Scripture but not specifically enumerated as are the Ten Commandments - requires congregations to write out their own Torah, but tradition has allowed for professional scribes, called sofers, to do the job. The 100-letter exercise will enable Temple Emanuel's people to have a literal hand in the composition.
Events begin with the usual sabbath service at 7:30 p.m. Friday, followed by the 9 p.m. social service known as \"oneg shabbat.\"
Torah studies will be held at 9 a.m. June 9, taught by the temple's cantor, Birdie Becker, and visiting Rabbi Moshe Druin, who has been involved extensively in sofer work as well as that of teacher and instructor in matters Judaic.
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/local-jews-to-dedicate-new-torah-in--day-rite/article_779b3a96-e19d-58e8-8800-ae8d2a50a588.html
The Temple Emanuel Reform Jewish congregation will dedicate its new Torah during a weekend of worship, celebration and education beginning Friday evening.
Members of the 107-year-old Temple Emanuel have been raising funds for the Torah - a hand-lettered rendition, on sheepskin parchment, of the first five books of the Scriptures - for several years.
The event is of interest and open to all members of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, because of the significance of a Torah, the Pentateuch, in both traditions.
Among the events scheduled are the penning of the final 100 letters of the scroll by members of the community. There are said to be about 80,000 Hebrew words in the Torah, spelled out with almost 305,000 characters.
Michael Atlas-Acuna, president of the temple, said that one of 613 Jewish commandments, also known as mitzvot - compiled by 12th-century Jewish rabbi and philosopher Rabbi Maimonides from Scripture but not specifically enumerated as are the Ten Commandments - requires congregations to write out their own Torah, but tradition has allowed for professional scribes, called sofers, to do the job. The 100-letter exercise will enable Temple Emanuel's people to have a literal hand in the composition.
Events begin with the usual sabbath service at 7:30 p.m. Friday, followed by the 9 p.m. social service known as \"oneg shabbat.\"
Torah studies will be held at 9 a.m. June 9, taught by the temple's cantor, Birdie Becker, and visiting Rabbi Moshe Druin, who has been involved extensively in sofer work as well as that of teacher and instructor in matters Judaic.
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/local-jews-to-dedicate-new-torah-in--day-rite/article_779b3a96-e19d-58e8-8800-ae8d2a50a588.html
PUEBLO CHEIFTAIN
Temple's cantor a busy, talented person
Posted: Saturday, December 16, 2006 12:00 am Temple's cantor a busy, talented person By Marvin Read The Pueblo Chieftain
Birdie Becker is on the move.
Constantly, it seems, from Denver to Los Angeles and back again, from to Denver to Pueblo and back again.
From dancing, to work on a cello and guitar, to weekend cantoring and instructing twice a month at Pueblo's Temple Emanuel, to the first year of a five-year program of rabbinical studies in Los Angeles, home again to Centennial, a Denver suburb, where she lives with her husband, dermatologist Dr. Jeffrey Becker.
Becker, a native of St. Louis, admits to two great loves: Judaism and dancing.
\"Dancing is an avocation, a sideline for me,\" she said, then added reflectively, \"Maybe I'm as passionate about it as I am about Judaica.\"
Accordingly, Becker is able to flaunt a resume that includes work as a veteran choreographer in several venues and instructor of dancing both Jewish (the Shibolem Israeli Folk Dance Ensemble in Denver) and secular (she teaches ballet, pointe, baton, jazz and tap at Southwest Dance Arts Center in Littleton).
She also plays the cello (as part of a violin-cello duo known as Apples and Honey and with the Arapahoe Philharmonic) and the guitar.
Weekly, she flies to Los Angeles where she's begun rabbinical studies at the Academy for Jewish Religion-California, an institution that trains rabbis and cantors to serve Jews affiliated with Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal, Conservative and Orthodox Judaism as well as unaffiliated Jews.
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/temple-s-cantor-a-busy-talented-person/article_a8d9beab-79d5-5195-861e-a84c9a4d4e27.html
Birdie Becker is on the move.
Constantly, it seems, from Denver to Los Angeles and back again, from to Denver to Pueblo and back again.
From dancing, to work on a cello and guitar, to weekend cantoring and instructing twice a month at Pueblo's Temple Emanuel, to the first year of a five-year program of rabbinical studies in Los Angeles, home again to Centennial, a Denver suburb, where she lives with her husband, dermatologist Dr. Jeffrey Becker.
Becker, a native of St. Louis, admits to two great loves: Judaism and dancing.
\"Dancing is an avocation, a sideline for me,\" she said, then added reflectively, \"Maybe I'm as passionate about it as I am about Judaica.\"
Accordingly, Becker is able to flaunt a resume that includes work as a veteran choreographer in several venues and instructor of dancing both Jewish (the Shibolem Israeli Folk Dance Ensemble in Denver) and secular (she teaches ballet, pointe, baton, jazz and tap at Southwest Dance Arts Center in Littleton).
She also plays the cello (as part of a violin-cello duo known as Apples and Honey and with the Arapahoe Philharmonic) and the guitar.
Weekly, she flies to Los Angeles where she's begun rabbinical studies at the Academy for Jewish Religion-California, an institution that trains rabbis and cantors to serve Jews affiliated with Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal, Conservative and Orthodox Judaism as well as unaffiliated Jews.
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/temple-s-cantor-a-busy-talented-person/article_a8d9beab-79d5-5195-861e-a84c9a4d4e27.html
PUEBLO CHEIFTAIN
Area Jews to worship at Trinidad's Temple
Posted: Saturday, September 3, 2005 12:00 am Area Jews to worship at Trinidad's Temple By Marvin Read The Pueblo Chieftain
Aaron Five area congregations of Jews will gather Friday in Trinidad to honor what is called Colorado's oldest in-use synagogue.
At the focus of the celebration will be Trinidad's Temple Aaron, members of which will be joined by congregants from Pueblo's Temple Emanuel, United Hebrew Center and B'nai Or and worshippers from Temple Sharon, located in Colorado Springs.
Cantor Birdie Becker of Temple Emanuel will conduct the 7:30 p.m. Shabbat service in the 116-year-old Trinidad synagogue.
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/area-jews-to-worship-at-trinidad-s-temple/article_e7694a99-fb5d-54b3-bed4-acff13e65059.html
Aaron Five area congregations of Jews will gather Friday in Trinidad to honor what is called Colorado's oldest in-use synagogue.
At the focus of the celebration will be Trinidad's Temple Aaron, members of which will be joined by congregants from Pueblo's Temple Emanuel, United Hebrew Center and B'nai Or and worshippers from Temple Sharon, located in Colorado Springs.
Cantor Birdie Becker of Temple Emanuel will conduct the 7:30 p.m. Shabbat service in the 116-year-old Trinidad synagogue.
CONTINUE READING:
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/area-jews-to-worship-at-trinidad-s-temple/article_e7694a99-fb5d-54b3-bed4-acff13e65059.html