HAMIGDALOR CONGREGATION AM HAYAM Market Street, Unit C, Ventura, Ca Phone (805) Fax (805) Website:

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1 HAMIGDALOR CONGREGATION AM HAYAM Market Street, Unit C, Ventura, Ca Phone (805) Fax (805) Website: From From The The Rabbi s Rabbi s Study Study November June Thanksgiving Day: Arousing Out of Need, Not Abundance If we think about Thanksgiving and research its history, we find that it has been largely misunderstood. We usually paint an idyllic picture of Pilgrims inviting Native Americans to festive tables piled high with sumptuous dishes. In truth, the English settlers observed that first Thanksgiving after a year of pitiless adversity. Most historians, it seems, contend that the First Thanksgiving, the one to which our celebration hearkens, was celebrated not in the fall but on July 30, 1623, after a bitterly cold winter, sickness, attacks by Native Americans, and a spring drought that had decimated almost 250 of the 350 colonists. It occurred precisely one day before a ship arrived from England, bringing much needed supplies and additional colonists. It was on that day that the Pilgrims observed their Thanksgiving; not in a time of abundance, but in a time of want. And they did it by word and by deed, inviting the very Native Americans who had assaulted them so recently and by praising G!d. It was not until 240 years later that Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday. Did it come in a period of plenty? No, it came in the darkest moments of our Civil War. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation appointing the last Thursday in November the day of observance. The proclamation, written by Secretary of State William H. Seward, states, In the midst of a civil war of unequaled and severe magnitude It was only then that Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday, supplanting Evacuation Day, which commemorated the British withdrawal from the United States after the American Revolution. The lesson of Thanksgiving is that in the midst of trouble--especially in the midst of difficulties and misfortunes--we need to find a reason to be thankful. The desire to offer thanksgiving will never cease. Even when things look dark, we can, and we should, find glimmerings of hope and light. continued

2 2 In this time, when incivility seems to pervade our culture, when people think it moral to laud crassness and cheer calls to attack others, when more white supremacists and their allies are running for public office in addition to wreaking havoc through marches and acts of violence, when a disdain for science, truth and honor leave many distraught, when wages seem not to keep up with inflation and the gap between the haves and have-nots keeps increasing the need for Thanksgiving remains. Thanksgiving Day is a beacon, shining a light on those values for which our country has always stood; a beacon illuminating our human warmth, a warmth that can yet begin to bring us back together; and of the hopes we bear, which might yet be realized. Kein y hi ratzon. So may it be, this year. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Rabbi J.B. Sacks

3 3 We all mourn and live in solidarity with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, and we especially send our condolences and love to the families of the victims. Below we reprint Rabbi Sacks' message following the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, as it remains timely. We Grieve and Stand with Tree of Life Or L Simcha--and We Resolve It is still with shock, anger, and grief that we are all struggling to find our way toward a response to the tragedy at our sister synagogue, Tree of Life Or L'Simcha Congregation, in Pittsburgh, a Conservative synagogue, in which three separate congregations make their home. It is a synagogue with a long, storied history in the middle of Squirrel Hill, a diverse area that is also the heart of Jewish Pittsburgh. This tragedy is compounded not only because it took place on Shabbat, a day of peace, but when a bris, the bringing of a baby boy into the Covenant and, as such, a celebration of new life, was about to take place. Our hearts go out to our sisters and brothers in Pittsburgh, which, for Steven and me, includes dear, close family members. Hate murdered: Joyce Feinberg, 75 Richard Gottfried, 65 Rose Mallinger, 97 Jerry Rabinowitz, 66 brothers Cecil Rosenthal, 59 and David Rosenthal, 54 wife and husband Bernice Simon, 84 and Sylvan Simon, 86, who were married in the Tree of Life synagogue in 1956 Daniel Stein, 71 Melvin Wax, 88 Irving Younger, 69 Moments like this do remind us that kol Yisrael haverim va-haverot, that we Jews maintain deep, strong bonds with one another. We mourn with the Tree of Life Or L'Simcha congregation, and with the Jewish community of greater Pittsburgh, and pray that they--and all of us--experience strength and resilience, courage, and comfort in the days and weeks ahead. We pray for those who are injured. We are grateful for the bravery of the first responders who risked their lives to save others and prevent even more loss of life. We are heartened by the outpouring of love and support that they are experiencing from near and far, from both the worldwide Jewish community and from loving people of all faiths. But, quite frankly, we must do more than pray--and we must demand that others do more than pray. Any prayer that does not lead to action or betterment remains an uncompleted prayer. remains an uncompleted prayer. continued continued

4 4 Eighty years ago (on November 9-10), synagogues in Germany, Austria and in parts of Czechoslovakia were attacked, along with Jewish-owned businesses. This is known as Kristallnacht. That action sent the world a message--one that hate will continue if not confronted. The world chose not to confront it. In 2017 anti-semitic incidents in this country were up 57%, and they are thought to have risen higher this year. These murders come as those who hate have felt increasingly emboldened in our country. Therefore, even as we mourn, and even as we pray, our prayers must be followed by our imploring our political representatives to address the spiraling violence that is turning formerly safe places--our synagogues, our schools--into scenes of unspeakable carnage. We must call on all Americans to cease the divisive rhetoric that has come to characterize our political discourse and which gives succor to those who hate. We must stop the dog whistles and other coded forms of language which bypass average Americans but send covert comfort to hate groups. While we can and will tone it down in our personal lives, we must ask our leaders to replace that rhetoric with the language of shared values, respectful disagreement, and civil and kind discourse. Anything less is unacceptable. Everything more can contribute that much more robustly to re-directing us from this ill-begotten path. We must come together--both before and after the upcoming midterm elections--to find healing and common ground. If we do this, then we can prevent hatred from flourishing. That is why this is our Kristallnacht moment--the moment when we decide whether to worry privately and hope that others will do something or to join in a movement that lifts up love over indifference and high above hate. We will commemorate Kristallnacht this Friday night and Saturday morning at our Shabbat services. But we now know that commemorating Kristallnacht is not only about our memory of that terrible time, but of our ability to mean, "Never Again," by harnessing our will to rise above hate in order to let love prevail, and by committing ourselves to making our country and our world a better, kinder, more peaceful place. We pray: Ose shalom bimromav hu ya'ase shalom aleinu v'al kol Yisrael v'al kol yosh-vei teivel. May the Maker of Peace in far above realms place peace over us, over the entire Jewish people and over all the inhabitants of the universe. When we recite this hallowed prayer, we realize that the prayer states "place peace over," and not grant peace to, because it is we ourselves who must bring peace down from the heavens, arrange it in our lives and in our world. We are G!d's partners in this most sacred task: we are G!d's ambassadors, we are G!d's hands, we are G!d's feet; we are the ones who most reign in hate, live love, and spread peace. Kein y'hi ratzon. So may it be. Rabbi Sacks

5 5 Message from Brenda Rich Greetings: I apologize for not having the donations made In Honor of or In Memory of ready to put in this month s Migdalor. They will be included in December s Migdalor. October brought much sadness to our Jewish community with the deadly killings that occurred in Pittsburgh. Unbelievable we saw, heard and read about the loss of 11 lives. People going about a normal day of living of attending a Shabbat morning service and attending a Bris were brutally mowed down and their lives ceased. Unbelievable but true!!! I am sorry if you missed the Interfaith Community Service held at TBT on Friday, November 2 nd. Am HaYam members and guests joined us at CAH for a light Shabbat dinner of pizza and salad and for our services which followed commemorating Kristallnacht and continued to honor the lives of those slain in Pittsburgh. Elsewhere in the Migdalor you will find beautiful and moving words from our Rabbi. Please join us at our next Services on November 16 th and 17 th. Eva Lowe will speak of her experiences on being one of the children who were part of the Kinder Transport program. As we celebrate Thanksgiving on November 22 nd, we must give thanks for the freedom that we have. But we must not take our freedom for granted. We must never forget what happened on Kristallnacht, we must never forget what happened in Pittsburgh, and we must never forget all the injustices that have been done to so many people. Every person is important!!! Please make sure you take advantage of the freedoms we have and cast your votes on Tuesday, November 6 th. Shalom, Brenda

6 Mondays with Mort 6 During the month of November the only session of Mondays With Mort at CAH at 10:30 AM will be on Monday, November 26 th. Question of the Month: What status must someone declare his desire for twice before he attains it? The answer can be found at Also be sure to check out the entire Mondays with Mort web site at and the CAH web site at Remember!!!!!! SCRIP = GIFT CARDS Purchasing scrip means buying gift cards!! CAH can meet all your needs: Markets; Restaurants; Dept. Stores; Entertainment; Gas Cards; Brent s Deli; Ventura Kosher Market and more Contact Brenda Brenda.bashful16@gmail.com

7 7 November Birthdays GERALD DAVIS 11 JANICE AHORON-EZER 15 FIL BARTON 25 ESTHER TAXON 30 November Anniversaries NO ANNIVERSARIES If your birthday or anniversary is not acknowledged please me at Tree Planted In Israel October 2018 No Trees Planted YAHRZEIT DATABASE PROJECT In the next few months, CAH will be updating the records for Yahrzeit notifications. We are aware that over time, the yahrzeit database of CAH has had some problems, with incorrect and missing dates and names. We would like to remedy this. Please look for a letter in the next month with a form attached for you to fill in all of your yahrzeit information. We will send out an when the letters have been sent out. We appreciate your patience in this very important task. For additional information or questions, please contact Fran Lande at fblande@gmail.com.

8 8 Get Well Bob Packer Sheila Myles Fran Lande Gail Packer Irv Jacobs Arnie Rich Nancy Stein Donna Gustafson Jerry Cordova Judith Jacobson Judye Newberger Steven Karash Norma Van Riper Mort Resnick Dianne Ruthman Ann Sperber Herb Stein Roz Resnick Lee Rothschild Beth Morales Betty Abramson Bruce Irvine Lois Lebman Fil Barton

9 9 SIGNIFICANT BOOK CLUB / My Own Words by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Saturday, October 20, My Glorious Brothers, by Howard Fast Saturday, December 8, 2018 (just before Chanukah!) 3. The Betrayers, by David Bezmogis Saturday, February 16, Letter to my Palestinian Neighbors by Yossi Klein Halevi Saturday, April 20, 2019 (as we celebrate Yom HaAtzma ut) Come and join us. After Shabbat morning services, we will have food at the Kiddush and participate in a meaningful discussion of each book. If you are not able to read the book, you are still invited to join in. Come learn from fellow congregants. The books can be purchased at a variety of places. If you use Amazon, be sure to use Amazon smile for CAH For more information and to RSVP, please Fran Lande, Adult Education Chair at fblande@gmail.com

10 10 SIGNIFICANT BOOK CLUB On October 20, participants met to discuss the book My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. All agreed that this was a very timely subject. Some participants really enjoyed gaining more knowledge and perspective on the background and processes of the Supreme Court. Ruth Bader Ginsburg s journey from childhood through the early days of her career to the present experiences on the Supreme Court were examined through the lens of her Jewish roots as well as the growth of women's rights. One of the thoughts shared was her emphasis on listening to others even if we may disagree with their opinions and views. Another important insight was the support of and partnership with her husband. The movie RBG was also discussed. Participants felt the movie gave more insight into the journey by putting faces to the important landmark cases she has fought for and changed the experiences for all. It was also important to see her physical workout that is part of her very disciplined day. The next book will be My Glorious Brothers by Howard Fast. My Glorious Brothers is a historical novel depicting the 167 BC Maccabeean revolt against the Greek-Seleucid Empire. The novel, which deals with Jewish independence and self-determination, was published in 1948, during the Israeli War of Independence. The discussion will occur after services on Saturday, December 8, 2018 as part of our celebration of Hanukkah. Participants will enjoy the kiddush while discussing the book. One does not have had to read the book to learn and enjoy the learning. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Fran Lande, Adult Education Chair, at fblande@gmail.com.

11 11 People in Ventura County are hungry year-round According to Food Share, 1 in 6 people in Ventura County are food-insecure. That's why we decided we need to keep a Food Share barrel in our lobby year-round. Please think about depositing non-perishables in the barrel. Bags are available in our lobby. When it's full, we'll call Food Share for pick-up. Look for the yellow barrel in our lobby. Congregation Am HaYam of Ventura County 4839 Market Street, Unit C, Ventura, Ca Phone (805)

12 YAHRZEIT 12 Friday, November 2 Frank Spunt, Uncle of Fil Barton Joseph Bergman, Father of Irv Bergman *Natalie Gustafson, Sister-In-Law of Donna Gustafson *William Hornick, Father of Tina Gustavson and Deanna Marenstein *Nettie Fenick, Mother of Elaine Hanig *Rose Kupperman, Mother of Mark Kupperman Loretta Zeller, Mother of Sheila Myles *Sally Resnick, Mother of Mort Resnick and Mother-In-Law of Ruth Resnick *Irene Rich, Mother of Arnold Rich Rachel Wiener, Mother of Norma Van Riper Selma Winer, Mother of Myrna Winer Friday, November 16 *Edith Rosenthal, Mother of Alma Golden Lina Hirsch, Mother of Eva Lowe Meyer Fogel, Grandfather of Myra Matlin Martin Myles, Husband of Sheila Myles Maurice Packer, Father of Bob Packer *Baylis Resnick, Husband of Ruth Resnick and Brother of Mort Resnick *Marion Wayne, Mother of Ann Sperber Samuel Kurnick, First Husband of Norma Van Riper Sam Wolfson, Father of Ilana Wolfson Harry Perrick, Father of Martha Zoloth Betty Perrick, Mother of Martha Zoloth *Inscribed on Memorial Wall

13 November 2018 Cheshvan/Kislev Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 Commemorating Kristallnacht 5:45p Candle lighting Services 8 p m 3 Services 10 am Commemorating Kristallnacht Shabbat Ends 6:40pm Daylight Saving Time Ends No Mondays with Mort Sigd Rosh Chodesh Kislev 4:39p Candle lighting Shabbat Ends Parashot5:35p Happy Birthday Gerald Davis No Mondays with Mort Happy Birthday Janice Ahoron-Ezer 4:34p Candle lighting Services 8 p m Services 10 am Shabbat Ends 5:31p Eva Lowe speaks about Kinder Transport No Mondays with Mort Thanksgiving Day 23 4:31p Candle lighting 24 Shabbat Ends 5:29p 25 Happy Birthday Fil Barton 26 Mondays with Mort at 10:30am Happy Birthday Esther Taxon 4:29p Candle lighting

14 14 PAST PRESIDENTS Mort Resnick Arnie Fingerhut z l Jerry Ruthman z'l Peter Shack z'l Brenda Rich OUR VOLUNTEERS Kiddushim - Brenda Rich Oneg Shabbat -Fil Barton Librarian -- Programming Tributes Telephone Purchasing Yahrzeits Migdalor Sunshine Donna Gustafson Lois Lebman Ruth Resnick Bev Rosen Bev Rosen Webmaster Mort Resnick Publicity Rabbi J. B. Sacks rabbijb@aol.com phone# BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Brenda Rich brenda.bashful16@gmail.com phone# VICE-PRESIDENT TREASURER- Lois Lebman SECRETARY - Donna Gustafson CORRESPONDING SECRETARY-Ruth Resnick WAYS & MEANS VP - Marc Goldman MEMBERSHIP VP - Miriam Mack RITUAL VP - Roz Resnick RITUAL VP Emeritus Milt Rothschild z l HOUSING VP - Neal Abramson IMMEDIATE PAST PRES - Brenda Rich ADULT EDUCATION VP - Fran Lande DIRECTORS Betty Abramson, Andrea Massion Lee Rothschild