Men's Club : : President's Message

The September 4th breakfast featured Rabbi Dennis Linson speaking about the influence of technology, and specifically the Internet, on the practice of Judaism.

One of the most practical, yet controversial issues, is remote participation in religious services. A very thorny question is: Do people remotely listening to or viewing a service while it is occurring (via a communications device or the Internet) count as part of a Minyan and also can the “visitor” say Mourners Kaddish?

The consensus is that a religious service must occur in one place so the visitor can certainly observe, and say Mourners Kaddish if there is a Minyan present in the central location, but the visitor does not count towards reaching the quorum or minimum number of 10 attendees.

There are several issues to be considered; one of the most complex is the competition between the desire for a Jewish religious service to be communal, welcoming and open to all versus the benefits and comforting provided by physical proximity of the participants during the service. [i.e. a hand on the shoulder]

There will NOT be a breakfast get-together in October because of the High Holy Days. The next breakfast will be November 6th. Temple Judea Breakfast Club events begin at 10:00 AM in our social hall.

These breakfast gatherings provide a magnificent opportunity to be entertained, mingle with your friends, meet new people, and have a delicious meal. All this is yours for $5. Both women and men are cordially invited to attend. We hope to see you. Feel free to bring a guest or two.

The Men’s Club wishes each and every Temple Judea member and their extended family a healthy and happy new year. L’Shana Tova Tikateivu !

Arnold Miller for Marvin Mandel, President