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Friday Night Community Dinner

This month’s Family Friday Night Dinner will take place on Friday, January 18^th. We will have a beautiful Friday Night Dinner together featuring the most scrumptious traditional menu featuring Fresh-baked Challah, Gefilte Fish with Salads, Chicken Soup with Matzah Balls, Roasted Chicken, Kugel, and lots more. We will have a Candle-Lighting Ceremony at 4:50pm, followed by a word of Torah by the Rabbi and a family-friendly Friday night service. Dinner will be served at 6pm. The cost to attend is $18 per adult and $10 per child – not to exceed $54 per family. Reservations are necessary to attend by sending an email to [email protected] or by calling 760-943-8891. Sponsors are welcomed to contact the office.

The Beauty of Our Kiddush

Every week following services we enjoy a beautiful Kiddush luncheon together. The Kiddush does not create itself. Thank G-d, we have a dedicated Kiddush crew, led by Naomi Alter and including Channah Hale, Sheila Lebovitz, the Rebbetzin, and several others, who make our Kiddush into something beautiful and enjoyable. But it takes more than willing hands to make the food. It also takes generous souls to sponsor the food. Without a sponsor the cost must come out of our operating budget, which is stretched thin as it is.

 If you have been a beneficiary of the Kiddush and haven’t sponsored it for a while please step forward now. Even if you have recently sponsored and kind find it in your heart to sponsor it again we need you. Kiddush sponsorship starts at $180. But if you want something more lavish with more variety you can add to that amount, and it is appreciated. It is also a very big blessing that you have facilitated ‘Oneg Shabbat’ (the enjoyment of Shabbos) for the entire congregation. Our Shabbat prayers describe the special blessings achieved by such generosity. Thank you and G-d bless!

October ’18 / Tishrei-Cheshvan 5778

Chabad at La Costa Ÿ 1980 La Costa Ave. Ÿ Carlsbad, CA 92009 Ÿ 760-943-8891 Ÿ Fax: 760-943-8892 Ÿ E-Mail: [email protected]

Rabbi & Mrs. Yeruchem & Nechama Eilfort Ÿ Len Hyman – President Ÿ www.ChabadatLaCosta.com

Rabbi & Mrs Elia & Chaya Eilfort Ÿ Chabad of Encinitas Ÿ www.JewishEncinitas.com ŸRabbi & Mrs Yossi & Muka Rodal Ÿ www.ChabadofCarlsbadNorth.com    

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EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT…

We are Set to

BURN THE MORTGAGE!

This year’s High Holiday services were truly uplifting as we enjoyed wonderful crowds including many new participants from our area (not to mention plenty of out of town guests). During services the shul’s president, Mr. Len Hyman, made an exciting announcement, which the Rabbi further elaborated upon.

When we were in the midst of building, which was completed three years ago, we took a five-year, $300,000 construction loan. Thank G-d, and many wonderful donors, we have managed to pay down our mortgage to about $50,000. We have been informed by our lender, the Meromim Chul Foundation, that the final $25,000 will be donated back if we can raise $25,000 at this time. That means that every donation towards the ‘Burn our Mortgage’ campaign will be matched dollar for dollar.

We must act now!

Thankfully, we received numerous generous pledges towards this aim on Yom Kippur, but we still must collect those pledges and more to meet our goal.

Will you help?

Mr. Hyman explained that we must be financially self-sufficient and that “every dollar raised here is used here.”

We are almost there!

Please respond generously to this tremendous opportunity to literally double the impact of every dollar you give. Donate by simply mailing in your check or you can donate securely online by following this link:

www.ChabadatLaCosta.com/donate

Be sure to mention in the note that the donation is for the ‘Burn the Mortgage’ campaign!

Thank you and G-d bless you for your generosity!

   

Dear Friend ,

 The High Holidays are upon us. We are appreciative of those who have already made their reservations by mail, email, and online. If you have not yet done so, PLEASE click the links below to make your family reservation now. This is important for many reasons including, proper preparations and security protocols, etc. (We do NOT assume that anyone is coming without a formal reservation.)

Reservation Form

Also, for your convenience we have created an online form to simplify your ability to reserve a High Holiday Honor. Traditionally, this is when we are most generous in our charitable giving, just as we ask for generosity from the Almighty, and that is why people strive to have an Honor. Please click here for the form. Please note that Honors will be reserved on a first come, first served basis.

High Holiday Honors

To make a contribution or payment for anything at all, use this link. 

Donate

Wishing that you and your family are inscribed in the Book of Life,

Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort 

Condolences

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of George Reh’s mother, Sarah bas Chanah, on Erev Yom Kippur. George will be saying Kaddish at shul each morning. Please join us so he can do this Mitzvah.

Dear Friends,

We are sorry to announce the passing of Jennie Velleco (Chava bas Yosef), beloved mother of Linda Rivkin and mother-in-law of Steve Rivkin. Jennie was blessed to live to be 102! 

Those who would like to send condolences to the Rivkins their email address is [email protected].

May Hashem comfort the Rivkins amongst all of the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem! 

Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort

Wednesday Parsha Classes

Parsha class this week and for the next few weeks will be taught by our very own Rabbi Eilfort!

Class will be from 7-8 pm at Chabad at La Costa 1980 La Costa Ave.

The Parsha Class is a roundtable discussion of the weekly Torah portion that is peppered with questions on the text and on the commentaries.

Whether you are a beginner at studying the Torah, or you have years of study under your belt, you will enjoy this fast moving and highly interactive class.

This week's parsha is Parshat Tetzaveh and you can read it here.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dear friend and special Cohen, Len Weksler. His funeral will be on Wednesday, September 9th at 10:00am at El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley in the Chabad section.

 5600 Carroll Canyon Rd, San Diego, CA 92121
(800) 352-2646 

Following the funeral there will be a meal of condolence at the shul.

May the mourners be comforted amongst all mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may we only know of Simchas in the future!

Here is a transcript of a video interview of Len Weksler talking about the early days of Chabad in California and his own visit with the Rebbe - 

http://m.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/2626137/jewish/Lighting-Peoples-Souls.htm 

It is with sadness we announce the passing of Moshe Cohen, brother of Channa Harrar, and Sam Cherberg, father of Gail Shoikhet.

The funeral for Sam will take place at 1pm, at El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley, in the Chabad section. Those who would like to carpool are welcome to join Naomi Alter, who will be leaving from the shul’s parking lot at 12:15pm sharp.

Channa will be getting up from Shiva today, and we will have a minyan tonight at shul at 7pm. Please come if you are able to help with this Mitzvah.

May we only know of Simchos from now on!

Rabbi Eilfort

 A Response to Terror

By: Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort

This week has been very difficult as the casualties from the latest Palestinian wave of terror continue to pile up. This week’s synagogue massacre was particularly agonizing for me, as fellow Rabbis, whose only ‘sin’ was their Jewishness, were targeted and mercilessly hacked to death with meat cleavers and knives. Copious amounts of blood stained their formerly snowy-white Talaisim and the holy pages of the prayers books they read from. The attack didn’t take place in legally disputed territory – it took place in the Western Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof. The murdered rabbis were not soldiers – just Jews speaking to G-d. 26 new orphans were created and four widows due to this attack. Again it has become ‘fashionable’ to murder Jews. Again Jewish blood is cheap.

The difficult part of this particular story for me is that I see myself in the shoes of victims. After all, I am a rabbi who conducts daily services. I relate, in a very personal way, to the tragedy. Devastatingly I am no longer shocked or even surprised when such a vicious attack is perpetrated against our people by the Palestinians (or radical Muslims in general). What I find maddening is the reprehensible coverage of such attacks by the likes of CNN, the BBC, Reuters, and most of the other ‘mainstream’ media. Through tortuous ‘logic’ they manage to try and show ‘balance’ between the murderous perpetrators and the innocent victims, like CNN’s headline that four Israelis and two Palestinians died. They misreport critical facts, like the attack occurred in a synagogue – NOT a mosque, or that the area where they were attacked is ‘occupied’ territory. Or they attempt to impart the message that this was somehow Israeli (Jewish) aggression like the headline that read “Two Palestinians Killed by Israeli Police.”

In my opinion these ‘news’ outlets are complicit in these terror activities. They have become so biased and twisted in their coverage as to have become propaganda agents for the enemies of a Jewish national home. They are generally quite hostile to peaceful people and Jewish interests, most of the time overtly. They have stilted their editorial bent to such a degree that their methods would make the Nazis proud.   

I have become cynical. I do not think most of the world cares any more, or at least those with power. We can count on one hand the number of reliable allies Israel has in the international arena. The leader of the free world equivocates and advocates for a dramatically weakened Israel and continues to give those with blood on their hands (including American blood) the benefit of the ‘doubt’. I believe that Jewish blood has again become cheap. I can only shake my head sadly as people offer excuses for the Palestinians.

Why?

The answer is because they are Muslim and the Israelis are for the most part Jewish. Today, and for the past number of years, it has become unfashionable to criticize Islam and/or Muslims. Anyone who does offer unapologetic criticism is labeled an Islamaphobe (or is marked for death). Islam now seems to be above reproach. Everyone seems terrified of antagonizing Islam. I find it astonishing that those who strongly speak out for democracy, human rights (including women’s rights, gay rights, and racial equality rights) seem to go strangely silent when discussing the Jewish – Muslim battle for Israel. How can any liberal-minded human being with half an ounce of common sense not vigorously defend Israel and assert her rights?!

I am also very disappointed in my co-religionists who call the Palestinian perpetrators of these atrocities ‘monsters,’ or ‘animals’ or numerous other inaccurate descriptions. It is an insult to animals and ‘monsters’ to call people, who are intelligent and who have choice, by these names. These people are much worse than any animal. They are as low as the Nazis (maybe lower because they should have learned the lessons of Nazi evil) – just not as well organized. They are the personification of evil. They are the mortal enemy of civilized human kind.

Now that my hands have been wrung in despair what answers may be offered? What words of consolation may be recited that won’t sound hollow or superficial?

Unfortunately there is no easy way out of this darkness. It will take dedication and a lot of hard work. It will take courage and generosity of spirit to climb out of this deep hole.

We must first of all take every possible step to enhance security, starting in Israel, which is on the front lines of this battle for civilization, and simultaneously working on all other vulnerable targets. This may mean utilizing certain methods that go against our natural tendencies towards openness and tolerance. We may have to look twice at someone wanting to enter our shul who does not look like he belongs. We may have to ask some extra questions of someone who asks a lot of questions about our schedules and routines. Israel may have to create more security checkpoints and use more discretion regarding who they allow into their neighborhoods and institutions.

The bodies of the terrorists should not be returned to their families for burial. On the contrary, they should be incinerated and their ashes should be cast into the sea. If a street or a school is named after the terrorist, it should be destroyed. Their homes should be demolished, their families (if found to be supportive of the terror) should be evicted and their homes and assets should be given to the victims. This may seem cruel, but it is actually kind, for if/when these types of measures are instituted a lot of the terror will finally stop. Everyone will benefit when Israel wins this war, even (especially?) the Palestinians themselves. After all, who suffers the most from this war on decency and civilization? Obviously, the Palestinians who continue to raise bumper crop after bumper crop of hateful murderers who have nothing positive to offer humanity.

On top of those steps, and beginning immediately, we must demonstrate that the terrorists will actually accomplish the opposite of their goals. New villages should be contemplated in Judea and Samaria in the name of the terror victims. New shuls should be built. New Jewish schools opened. The money currently being sent to the Palestinians should be used for these purposes. The money taken from the terrorists should used as incentives to help these people get new lives out of the land of the Jewish people. Help them get away from their corrupt (and very rich) ‘leaders’ who continue to bilk the world out of billions.

Locally we must find a way to add in our educational programs, particularly those that teach the truth; that Israel belongs to the Jewish people, and that it is the Jewish people who have the moral high-ground in this conflict. Jews certainly must find ways to enhance our unity, to build our communities, and to be strong in our attachment to Israel, each other, and G-d’s Torah.

In our case, our Friday night services will be in the memory of the victims of Palestinian terror.

It is (still) with complete faith that I believe in the ultimate victory of Israel and the Jewish people!

Rabbi Eilfort welcomes readers’ questions/comments via email at [email protected]. 

Three Jewish Teenagers Murdered
Their Crime? Being Jews Living in Israel
By: Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort

At times like this it is difficult to think clearly, as our rational minds vie with a toxic mixture of deep sorrow and wrathful rage. We instinctively lash out in anger at our numerous enemies – some real and some imagined. We look for parties that we can focus our anger upon and blame for this latest Muslim atrocity. We eagerly read the President’s message seeking answers, if not some form of solace, and try to decode the ‘diplomatic-ese’ so we can get a notion as to what type of response by Israel will be tolerated by the rest of the world.

As we know Hamas is guilty of this atrocity as they continue to rain rockets down on southern Israel shot into population centers from population centers in Gaza. This, of course, constitutes a double war crime. I am really not sure how kidnapping and executing three teenagers because of being Jewish is categorized in international legal circles. Alas, the calls for restraint to prevent the destabilization of the situation have already been made by the President.

Let me ask you; what can be more unstable than random rocket attacks into population centers and the kidnapping of children on their way home from school?

We wring our hands in frustration as we feel helpless in the face of such barbarism. It gets worse when the ‘cycle of violence’ prognosticators come out of the woodwork and start making the obscene comparisons of three Jewish youth murdered because they are Jewish and Palestinian youth who die when attacking the Israeli Army and Jewish civilians.

Jews, it is time to wake up! There will be no justice brought to bear in this case unless Israel itself finds the intestinal fortitude to exact payment from those who are guilty and those who enabled them. Hamas is now part of the recognized Palestinian government. The Palestinian Authority chairman declared a unity government. His unity government receives large amounts of money from the US, EU, and many other sources. That means that our tax dollars go to fund the rockets being fired and the inevitable memorial plaques glorifying the murderers of our children. How does that feel? Your money is going to murder your people.

Israel must institute the death penalty forthwith so that these murderers, when caught, can never become bargaining chips for Jewish lives. They must be tried, convicted, put to death, and their bodies must be buried at sea so that their burial sites are not made into some sort of terrorist tourist attraction.

This is not a joke. Western attitudes regarding the sanctity of human life mean nothing to these people. They sooner sacrifice their own children than grant the Jewish people an independent country of their own. What they do understand is power and the willingness to use it when needed. The Syrian border and the Egyptian border have not remained largely quiet since the Yom Kippur War because of Israel’s liberal treatment of its Arab citizens. Those borders have remained relatively quiet because those countries know if they provoke Israel they will pay a very high price. It is time Hamas and their unity government partners are made to understand this same reality.

Of course this country and the world will call for Israeli restraint. Yes, many thousands more rockets will be fired into Israel from Gaza and from Lebanon (under the ‘watchful’ eye of the UN). There may even be some noise from the newly forming ‘Caliphate’ in Syria and Iraq. Iran will certainly do everything possible to harm Israel and its interests. Anti Semitism will rear its ugly head throughout Europe and even here. Israel will be excoriated on college campuses across this country, and heaven help any student decent enough to speak up in her defense. Calls will issue forth from academics and even some Jews to punish Israel financially for its audacity in defending itself from barbarism.

But Israel can do nothing more dramatic to bring stability to an unstable land by bringing the perpetrators to justice. Justice, true justice, brings stability. Israel may have to go it alone, but she is kept safe due to a Greater Force than the nations of the world.

And what about us? What part do we play in all of this? When Kfar Chabad and several Chasidim were attacked and murdered by terrorists in the ‘50’s the Rebbe, whose 20th Yarzeit we mark tonight, called for positive action. The terrorists, and those who support and enable them, only understand destruction and death. But we build and cherish life, and this will cause us to win this clash of values. Right makes might! We must fight their senseless hatred with unconditional love of one another. We must adopt each other’s children as though they are our own. Until every Jew is free to be Jewish without fear we have not completed our mission.

May the Almighty comfort the families of the innocent teens and all of the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem!