By Jan Jaben-Eilon
eJewish Philanthropy
On Friday evening, April 8, the first of Nissan, a new Progressive congregation, Beit Centrum Ki Tov, will open its doors in the center of Warsaw, Poland, and dedicate its first Torah – donated by Temple Hadar Israel in New Castle, PA.
The launch of the new congregation had been in the planning stage for a few years. Beit Warszawa, the flagship congregation of Beit Polska – the umbrella organization of Polish Progressive Judaism, recognized by the World/European Union for Progressive Judaism – is about six miles from the center of Warsaw and some congregants felt the need for a more centrally located congregation.
According to Joe Smoczynski, chair of Beit Polska Union Audit Committee and board member and gabbai of Beit Warszawa, “The alternatives in Warsaw are Chabad, the Orthodox and a Reform community set up and indirectly controlled by the Orthodox. There is no affiliate of the World Union for Progressive Judaism or the European Union for Progressive Judaism in the center of Warsaw, a city which had the world’s largest Temple before the Second World War.”
Smoczynski wrote those words to the board of Temple Hadar Israel in his moving letter March 15 explaining the need for a Torah. “Before 1939, Poland had thousands of Sefer Torahs which were virtually all destroyed or saved by some and taken abroad,” he wrote. “Today, if we wish to have a community, we need to find a Torah from outside Poland.”
Five days later, Temple Hadar Israel voted to donate one of its Torahs to Beit Centrum, after board president Samuel M. Bernstine, who said he was “personally touched” by Smoczynski’s letter, made the proposal to his board. Only five days after that momentous decision, congregant Dale Perelman carried the Torah, originally from Poland, to Los Angeles and into the waiting arms of Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, executive director of Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland, who, in turn, carried the Torah to Poland at the end of March. The hand-off of the Torah took place in front of beautiful stained glass windows at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles.
The swiftness of the decision-making and the transport of the more than 85-year-old Torah was necessitated by the timing of the opening of Beit Centrum. But the matchmaking of Temple Hadar Israel and Beit Centrum itself was the doing of David Sarnat, founder of Atlanta-based Jewish Community Legacy Project.
As reported in eJewish Philanthropy in October 2013, JCLP assists small Jewish communities that are experiencing dwindling populations and anticipating an end to their ability to sustain a congregation and Jewish life. “We help the congregations prepare a plan that honorably allows them to leave a legacy, as well as make sure their assets go to aspects of Jewish life that were important to them when they were a vibrant community,” explained Sarnat. Of particular importance in these Legacy Plans is a provision for perpetual care of the congregation’s cemetery, and choices of how to dispose of its assets and ritual items, including Torahs.
Sarnat, a former executive at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, spearheads JCLP along with Noah Levine, another former JFGA executive. The JCLP works with The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) and the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) to provide guidance to these Jewish communities, usually located in small towns whose overall populations have also declined.
Bernstine says Temple Hadar Israel asked for JCLP’s help to make sure that the community’s elderly have a place to worship for as long as possible. “We want to keep our facility alive for people to always have a place to pray,” said Bernstine. “But we also want to be fiscally responsible.”
As Bernstine told eJewish Philanthropy in 2013, New Castle’s population in the 1950s was about 50,000. Now it’s half that. At one time the Jewish population was 300 Jewish families. Now there are 70 individuals, “very heavily on the senior citizen side of the equation. I’m 57 and I’m not the youngest, but one of the youngest,” he said of the congregation that has been in existence for more than 100 years. “It became clear to us that if we kept things as they were, we’d only have two more years of existence. Now I’m optimistic that it’s seven to 10 years. David (Sarnat) has helped us put together a plan.”
Sarnat helped Temple Hadar Israel’s board develop its business objectives by asking the group how it wanted the congregation to be remembered, and how they want their artifacts to be handled long term. When he heard that the fledgling Beit Centrum Ki Tov needed a Torah, he called Bernstine. Since Temple Hadar Israel had more than one Torah, the board decided to donate this Torah, whose official evaluation says it’s over 85 years old.
According to Sarnat, “The JCLP only facilitated this action and if the other actors were not who they were, it would not have happened.”
Thanking Temple Hadar Israel, Smoczynski wrote: “I wish to thank your board for your very generous gift that turns us from a Minyan into a Congregation that can hold complete Shabbat morning services. This gift means a part of your community will always be with us. You have given us a seed that we will nurture so it can grow and bloom.”
He also invited members of Temple Hadar Israel to visit Beit Centrum in Warsaw. “Come and see this exciting moment in the history of Warsaw, where Rabbi Jastrow left for the USA over 150 years ago to start the first Progressive community in Philadelphia – with a Sefer Torah.”
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sAM: i AM SO PROUD OF THIS PRESENTATION OF ONE OF H.I.’S TORAHS TO THE SHULE IN POLAND. WHAT A GRACIOUS AND GENEROUS THING TO DO.
I’M SORRY YOU WEREN’T AT THE MEETING ON SUNDAY. YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN PROUD OF THAT AS WELL.
SINCERELY,
Mr Smoczynski only forgot to mentioned that he is opening “Beit Centrum” in contradiction to statutory provisions of Beit Polska and without any authorization of its statutory bodies…. This opening is a hutzpa.
Wonder Miracles!
As idea of opening new Beit in Poland always will be miraculous event for Jewish Community, this one is the example of disaster: how 3 rabbis together actively breaking Statutory Law for Polish RJ Gmina Beit Polin Warsaw.
Mr Smoczynski since several years steady and continuously undermined vital activity of Beit Poling, degrading their powers, efficient administration, and he was the supervisor director of BP, who cloaks almost every possible financial wrongdoing. Now when he almost destroyed mother Beit Polin, he, without legal consent from BP Board and delegates – without even informing Board and delegates is starting “new venture” supposedly under wings of Gmina Beit Polin?
Our main donor Rav. Haim Beliak and our Beit’s Rabbi Boris Dolin do not see and do not want to see further consequences of such behavior of the crook man, and his stooges.
So question is , how 80 years old Torah? could belong into fake congregation , where those people broke the Beit’s Law and Statue, prohibiting anyone for opening action of another Beit within same territory. So how this Torah can be in possession in such a dirty minds and hands? within approval of rav Beliak & r. Boris Dolin?.
This above article provides wonderful information of clean heart donors from PA, who wants to support in reviving Jewish life in Poland, but they do not know, that this Torah falls into Smoczynski man, his dirty hands and dirty heart, who almost destroyed Beit Polin and now is escaping to his new “establishment” with the new Torah , meanwhile breaking all Polish and Jewish Beit Stature.
I feel sad to write this, but due to stagnant BP Board, who has no capacity to stop this crazy event, cause rav. Beliak wants to do it by all means, despite our cry against this unlawful event.
Rav. Beliak was recently on our Beit Polin meeting with all Board and members, who have had loud and clear telling him to stop this unlawful “event with Bet Centrum” and as well cease membership of Joe Smoczynski and three others , due to their unlawful activity against the existence of Beit Polin and wrongdoing against BP..
And the is the end of this story, where good will of wonderful PA Torah donors is converting to blasphemy into Smoczynski’s hands.
Some complained last fall that they wanted more engagement with the haters in our midst. I refused at that time to respond to the wild and damaging charges. The nature of demagogues is that you can never silence them. Now in the age of internet their reach is even more damaging.
My main job is to raise money for Beit Polska. Last fall we lost around $10,000 to $15,000 in donations because of people carelessly sending letters and making charges that are false and damaging. I will not review the history of this painful time. I note with sadness how one set of slander led to another and then another. Now, we have a very unpleasant ethos in our community in Poland. It is just a matter of time until someone else will be attacked. The hateful and vile talk is spreading beyond Poland.
If you were a donor would you give to a program that is being attacked?
Now two individuals have repeated that practice for the community outside Poland. This time they have taken their stink to the main magazine that donors read. In the e Jewish Philanthropy they spread anger and hatred. Those charges will further damage our reputation. We will lose donors. This creates chaos and distrust.
I have asked people to join me in putting a stop to hate. I repeat that one may disagree with the idea of experimental community in downtown Warsaw but the idea that you would set out to destroy peoples”reputations and the good name of Beit Polska is unacceptable.
This week’s Torah portion Mestora portion is one in which we are admonished to not slander or bear tales. May we endeavor to learn that lesson, finally. Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Haim Beliak
Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland
Executive Director