A Reform Congregation

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Friday Services start at 7:30 PM Saturday Services start at 10:30 AM December, 2015 A Reform Congregation Volume 11, Issue 4 FROM THE RABBI In the Talmud, there is a discussion by a group of rabbinic

And the question being discussed was the following: If an oven was cut into sections and sand was placed between each section, would the entire oven become impure if one of the sections became impure?

1 Friday Services start at 7:30 PM Saturday Services start at 10:30 AM December, 2015 A Reform Congregation Volume 11, Issue 4 FROM THE RABBI In the Talmud, there is a discussion by a group of rabbinic sages about an issue which might not seem too important to us today, but which was important to them. The discussion was about an oven. And the question being discussed was the following: If an oven was cut into sections and sand was placed between each section, would the entire oven become impure if one of the sections became impure? Rabbi Eliezer said that the entire oven would NOT become impure. All of the other rabbinic sages said that the entire oven WOULD become impure if one section became impure. Rabbi Eliezer employed every conceivable argument, and yet his colleagues were not convinced. They wouldn t yield. Rabbi Eliezer then said: If I am right, this carob tree will prove it. If I am right, this carob tree will move. Sure enough, the carob tree moved a distance of 100 cubits (a cubit is about 18 inches). But the other rabbinic sages replied: Carob trees prove nothing. Rabbi Eliezer then said: If I am right, this stream of water will prove it. Sure enough, the stream began to flow backwards. The other rabbinic sages replied: A stream of water proves nothing. Rabbi Eliezer then said: If I am right, the walls of this house of study will prove it. And the walls inclined. The rabbinic sages still were not convinced. Finally, Rabbi Eliezer said to his colleagues: If I am right, heaven itself will prove it. And a voice from heaven was heard to say: Why do you reject Rabbi Eliezer s view? Rabbi Eliezer is correct. The law is what Rabbi Eliezer says it is. One of the other sages, Rabbi Joshua, then exclaimed: When we decide the law, we take no notice even of a voice from heaven. When we decide the law, it is the majority view that must prevail. The Talmud tells us that another sage, Rabbi Nathan, later encountered Elijah the Prophet and asked him: What did God do when all this happened? And Elijah answered: God laughed and said: My children defeated Me. My children proved Me wrong. I won t vouch for the truth of this story, but I think that it does teach us something about the interpretation and evolution of Jewish law. I think the Talmudic rabbis realized the importance of the human factor in Jewish law. There is a body of Jewish tradition and it is up to each generation to interpret it and make it relevant. As Rabbi Joshua said: It is the majority view that must prevail. But the question is this: Who gets to vote? Who gets to participate in the discussion and in the vote which determines the decision of the majority? Should every Jew have the right to participate in the discussion and in the vote which determines the correct interpretation of Jewish practice and whether specific Jewish practices should be changed? I think that in order to be part of the discussion, a Jew has to have some knowledge of Jewish practices and the reasons for these practices. And a Jew must have some commitment to the Jewish tradition. Too many of us today just reject the entire body of Jewish traditions without even knowing much about those traditions. We just want our Judaism light and we really don t feel much of an obligation to observe any Jewish practice which doesn t give us an immediate kick. This isn t what Reform Judaism is about. Reform Judaism says we can modify and change Jewish practices of the past, but before we do that, we have to know what it is we re changing and why want to modify or eliminate a particular practice. We shouldn t just abandon Jewish practices without understanding them. Reform Judaism tells us that we have an obligation to make Judaism relevant to contemporary conditions, but that we still have an obligation to the Jewish past. Reform Judaism recognizes the need for change. But it also recognizes the need for commitment. Rabbi David Weissman Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

org Rabbi David Weissman President Vice President Treasurer Secretary At Large: A Reform Congregation Board of Directors Lily Ann Revitch Cookie Brenner Robert Post Flo Pflaster MaryAnn Lempert Gabe

2 2 SHABBAT SERVICES We meet at 4023 Belle Terre Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC. Parking is located in front and in back of the building. PO Box Myrtle Beach, SC (843) 903-ONEG (6634) TempleShalomMyrtleBeach.org Rabbi David Weissman President Vice President Treasurer Secretary At Large: A Reform Congregation Board of Directors Lily Ann Revitch Cookie Brenner Robert Post Flo Pflaster MaryAnn Lempert Gabe Brenner Natalie Kramer Burt Kramer Jeff Kane Committee Chairpersons Calendar & Bulletin Dine & Schmooze Education Finance House Committee Membership Oneg Publicity Ritual Chairman Webmaster Food Bank Chair Yahrzeit Notices Sisterhood President Brotherhood President Dave Pflaster Felice Breidner Natalie Kramer Rabbi Weissman Lily Ann Revitch Gabe Brenner Burt Kramer Flo Pflaster Burt Kramer Burt Kramer Dave Pflaster Natalie Kramer Ze ev Revitch Sheila Honer Gabe Brenner Our Friday evening services begin at 7:30pm. There is an Oneg after services. On Saturday mornings services begin at 10:30 am. A small Kiddush is celebrated after services. FROM THE PRESIDENT: Dear Temple Members, Things have been hectic around the temple this past month. We started off with our Mah Jongg Marathon with 63 women in attendance. Many thanks to Irene Klein and the committee of wonderful women who did a super job and made it a great day for all. We raised over $ for the Temple. Next was our Shabbat dinner. These dinners are more and more popular, so thank you for the many compliments that were expressed to Linda Post and me for a job well done. We then celebrated our Sisterhood Shabbat. A huge thank you to Mary Weissman and Wendy Margulies for coordinating and officiating at the service and to all the women who participated. What a lot of STUFF came in for the Brotherhood yard sale! What a shame it had to rain on that day, but well done and I am sure they will plan another one soon. Our Sisterhood has been working on plans for several trips,one in the spring to Savannah & surrounding areas, as well as a trip to Israel in November Many of us will be taking advantage of the cruise that Sisterhood planned as you read this bulletin. And life goes on around Temple. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our first ecumenical service on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We will once again light the Menorah at Market Commons December 8th at 6:00pm which is always a fun thing to do. We finish 2015 with our own Hanukkah Happening at the Temple, so join us for fun, songs & lighting of the Hanukkah menorahs and our now famous LATKAS December 12, 2015 I give a warm welcome to David and Nora Rosenberg, Eric and Elaine Luscombe, Paul and Shirley Nathan, Michelle Foels and her daughter Shelley, Charles & Carol Hirsch and Myrna Meisner, our new members since the High Holidays. Lily Ann Revitch President

3 3 Thank you Diahann Saddler For stepping up, and providing a donation to cover the full cost of the counter top oven for our new kitchen. Mi Sheberach list We all pray that those who are mentioned on the Mi Sheberach list each Shabbat regain their health and continue to join us. However, Beginning immediately, persons whose names are on the list will be mentioned each Shabbat for a period of 30 days. If you want to extend that mention beyond the 30 days, please contact Rabbi Weissman each month as appropriate. As always, at Shabbat services you can add a name to the Mi Sheberach list. Temple Shalom Board News Our November Board meeting was long and busy. Some of the topics discussed: The Building : New down spouts were installed on the back of the building and we are looking to do the same in the front. I am sure if you were at the building during the big rain storm you saw how the rain poured off the roof. We would also like to pour a concrete pad at the back kitchen door. We also voted to purchase a storage unit to be placed along the side fence. This will need further investigation, High Holidays: After the High Holidays we tabled discussion of this subject until we could look back at it with a clear head. The Board voted to charge non members for High Holiday seats starting in 2016, We will not charge children up through college. Our members never pay for High Hol day seats. Membership: Temple Shalom has always counted our membership as family units but this is not realistic any more. The consensus was that each member will be counted as an individual. This would make our membership more equitable. Dues: Our dues structure was also part of the conversation. It has been five years since we visited this subject. The board talked about a building fund; the consensus of the board was not to initiate a building fund, but voted for a small dues increase per person starting the next fiscal year. I hope this report keeps you up to date with what it takes to operate a synagogue. We will try to do this each month. Lily Ann Revitch President Have you ordered your Memorial Board plaque(s) yet? This is a great way to honor your loved ones who have passed away. Plaques are $200 each. You can start the purchase with a $100 deposit per plaque (balance to be paid within the year). The form is on the Temple Shalom website. It takes approximately 6-8 weeks for the plaque to return to the temple. Call or Cookie Brenner for information. Kitchen Committee for the first time, we have a working kitchen and a committee to help keep it going. The committee is Bobbie Guseman, Marcia Katz, Laura Ward, and Cookie Brenner. We are responsible for making sure that we all have the supplies we need to make Onegs, Mah Jongg Marathons, parties, and all other events that need kitchen stuff. If you are having an event, please contact one of these committee events in advance. We will need to know if you need any special supplies and one of us will be with you in the kitchen during the event.

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5 Donations General Fund 5 Yahrzeits This Month Charles Falk Brother of Art Falk 2 High Holiday Donations Michael Jacobson Lawrance Blecker ( New York NY ) Robert & Arlene Brush ( Calabash NC ) Rabbi James & Sandra Apple Wayne & Audrey Sosin (Myrtle Beach SC) Ari Pieniek Shirley Pesses (In appreciation of Rabbi Weissman's Hospital Visit) Mike Winegardon (Conway SC ) Thank You To Rabbi David & Mary Weissman For being so dear to my mother Carrie Selig Rick Selig In loving memory of Carrie Selig Rick & Michael Selig in honor & memory of their Mother Louis & Lynn Sostrin Robert & Barbara Ottinger Linda & Robert Post Susan Holt Fisher Linda Beale Elliot & Bernice Selig Elaine Molchan In loving memory Carol A Jacobson Remembered By Michael G, Jacobson Denny Tabachow Friend of Sheila Komito Else Flatow Mother of Norbert Flatow Norbert & Sue Flatow Nathan Breidner Uncle of Sam Breidner Sam & Felice Breidner Esther Brenner Cousin of Lily Ann Revitch Ze ev & Lily Ann Revitch Bilha Horvitz Cousin of Ze'ev Revitch Ze ev & Lily Ann Revitch Rita Radner Mother of Felice Breidner Sam & Felice Breidner ONEG NEWS Shirley Schlanger Mother of Dorothy McCawley 4 Grandfather Menachem Hemerov of Ze'ev Revitch 4 Tobey Honer Mother of Phil Honer 7 George Topaz Father of Lynn Sostrin 8 L.S. (Jimmy) Firestone Father of Steve Firestone 8 Arlene Goldberger Sister of Sheila Komito 10 Henry Levine Father of Susan Marks 12 Josephine Reid Sister of Ron Crow 15 Michael J. Ciesla Father of Maryann Lempert 30 Ann Levine Mother of Susan Marks 31 Birthday Burton Kramer December 1 Jeffrey Kane December 12 Natalie Kramer December 17 Robert Post December 19 Beth Crow December 23 Felice Breidner December 28 Whew-2015 is over and all dates were successfully filled and we had amazing and delicious onegs every Friday night! Thank you all. Now, on to All of January and all of February (except Feb 12) is available. And for those of you who like to plan ahead, most of the year is also available. The Kitchen Committee has asked that the person doing the oneg, place ice in a large bowl and put small bottles of water in the bowl to keep the water cold. This will eliminate traffic in the kitchen going to the refrigerator. As usual, any questions about how to provide an oneg, contact me. And if you are doing one to celebrate a special occasion or remembering a loved one, let me know. Flo Pflaster HANUKKAH HAPPENING IS COMING Saturday, December 12, 2015! This will be the first time we have hosted this wonderful annual event in our own building! We hope to have the usual huge crowd so make your reservation early. Bring your friends, relatives, and neighbors. This is always a fun night with great home made latkes, falafel, and other great foods. Even more fun are the prizes we always give away. Please ask your nail salon, favorite restaurant, bowling alley, and store for a gift card or certificate for us to use for prizes. It is always fun to win something! Please let Cookie know what you have gotten so we can get the prizes together on Latke Thursday. The flyer is in this newsletter and we have color flyers to put up in the area. We need your help so call Cookie and volunteer to help with this event. Latke ladies we will make latkes on Thursday, December 10 at 10:30 AM. More information on where and what to bring will come later. If you have already volunteered, I will be in touch before November 28 to go over what you have volunteered to do. Thanks to everyone for your help in making this event so special. Cookie From the editor s desk Deadline for January Bulletin is December 23, 2015 Submission is via to : djp3747@atmc.net

6 6 December KISLEV 19 TEVET SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Service: 7:30 PM Oneg: Kramer Natalie/Burtbirthdays Morning Service 10:30AM 19 KISLEV 20 KISLEV 21 KISLEV 22 KISLEV 23 KISLEV :00 P.M. - Menorah lighting, Valor Park in Market Common Adult Ed. - 7:30 P.M. Jewish Concepts of God Service: 7:30 PM Oneg: Marcia Katz Morning Service 10:30 A.M. 24 KISLEV 25 KISLEV 26 KISLEV 27 KISLEV 28 KISLEV 29 KISLEV 30 KISLEV Board mtg 7:30PM 18 Service: 7:30 PM Oneg: Felice/Sam Breidner Felice birthday 19 Morning Service: 10:30AM 1 TEVET 2 TEVET 3 TEVET 4 TEVET 5 TEVET 6 TEVET 7 TEVET Service: 7:30 PM Oneg: Cookie/ Gabe Brenner Morning Service: 10:30AM 8 TEVET 9 TEVET 10 TEVET 11 TEVET 12 TEVET 13 TEVET 14 TEVET Adult Ed. - 7:30 P.M. Jewish Concepts of God TEVET 16 TEVET 17 TEVET 18 TEVET 19 TEVET

7 7 THE WAR OF LIBERATION by Rabbi Leon Spotts, Ph.D. (Rabbi Leon Spotts, a member of Temple Shalom, is a former Executive Director of the Atlanta Bureau of Jewish Education and Education Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Columbia, SC) The date was May 14, My family sat in our comfortable Philadelphia living-room, glued to our television and radio monitors, As the afternoon gave way to dusk and then to evening, we, together with thousands of other Jewish and interested non-jewish families throughout the world, listened intently for some official word as to whether the leadership had decided to establish the Jewish state of Israel on the morrow, May 15, 1948, the date stipulated for the termination of the British Mandate (i.e., administrative authority) over Palestine. Then, suddenly, there was a flurry of activity on the veranda of the home of the Mayor of Tel Aviv,where an improvised speaker s platform had been set up. At the lectern now stood David Ben Gurion, Prime Minister designate of the emergent Jewish state. Mr. Ben Gurion announced that in accordance with the Partition Plan, approved by the UN General Assembly on November 29, 1947, the contemporary Jewish state of Israel would come into existence on May 15, He then read the full text, first in Hebrew and then in English translation of the Proclamation establishing the protocols for the creation of this new political entity. In the light of the fact that the Jewish people had not had their own sovereign land for some 2,000 years (since the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E.), it was not surprising that following the presentation of the new Prime Minister Designate, the individuals who had supported the creation of a Jewish state were quite pleased, and began to celebrate. But there was one group of Jews who emerged from this session grim-faced with tears in their eyes. These were the elected or appointed political, economic and military leaders of the new state of Israel, who would assume authority the next day. They knew for a certainty what none of us observers would dare to suggest: that at dawn tomorrow seven Arab armies would invade the new Jewish state, with the intent of throwing all the Jewish settlers into the sea and sabotaging plans for a contemporary Jewish homeland in the land of Israel. In fact, early the next morning, the indicated armies did attack Israel, following a coordinated, well planned strategy and tactics. Because the Egyptian military was the largest and most battleexperienced of the Arab forces, it naturally assumed the major leadership role in deploying the several Arab armies within its command. In view of the fact that Israel had become a political entity only a few hours before the Arab onslaught, it had no standing army, nor any cache of military weaponry and supplies. How could these urbanized, bookish Jews with little or no military training battle seven Arab armies of the desert? American and international military experts estimated that the fledging Jewish state might survive for a maximum of, say, six weeks. This estimate seemed to appear generous as the Egyptian army advanced steadily northward towards the Tel Aviv area from its bases in the south near the Egyptian border. Then, for no explicable reason, in mid-october, 1948, the order went out from the Egyptian High Command to halt the northern advance immediately. No reason or rationale was appended to this order. The hiatus in the Egyptian army s movement lasted a full five days. This respite gave the Israeli defenders time to regroup and to plan their counter-offensive against the Arabs. This five-day period may have been key in enabling the Israelis to defeat their Arab enemies in what later came to be known as The War of Liberation.

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Brotherhood News Brotherhood News Thank you to everyone who helped with the Yard Sale. It was fun rooting through stuff and I appreciate all you did.

9 Brotherhood News Brotherhood News Thank you to everyone who helped with the Yard Sale. It was fun rooting through stuff and I appreciate all you did. Although we did not make a lot of money because of the rain, we were able to pack up enough goods as a start toward a late winter/early spring yard sale. I hope you had fun and it was great working with all of you. Next Brotherhood meeting will be Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 10:30 AM. I will send out ideas and reminders. If you have any ideas for a winter evening program, please send it to me at gnbee1@gmail.com or see me at services. In the past we have sponsored a game night, a wine and cheese night, and a movie night. Gabe 9 Sisterhood News I am sure everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with either their family or friends. We had a very well attended meeting in November. We shared our Attraction Books from We made more than $600 on 2016 Attraction Books sales. Good Job! Please be aware that we will not be having a December Meeting. Our next meeting will be January 4, We are hoping to have a Movie and Hot Dog Night with husbands/friends included. I will you to let you know what is going on. Have a great Hanukah and a Happy New Year!. See you in Sheila MAH JONGG CLASS Our Mah Jongg Marathons are always a great success! If you want to learn or played long ago and want a refresher, beginning Wednesday, January 6, 2015, from 1-3:30,we will teach and play Mah Jongg at the temple. Charge is $1.00 and we will have coffee on. Just show up. We will have sets and cards available. Call Cookie to just tell us you are coming. ~ Brotherhood ~ President.. Phil Honer

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10 10 Always There Always Fair Myrtle Beach Funeral Home and Crematory is one of the more affordable burial, shipping and cremation providers in the Carolinas. We are a full service facility, meaning, our Crematory, Funeral Chapel, Morgue-Embalming facilities and Products Room for Urns and Caskets, are all located on the same grounds as our funeral home. We are the only lower cost, fairer priced cremation, shipping and burial service provider in the State of SC that actually owns an on-site crematory and refrigerated morgue facilities. Visit our website to download a copy of our free Meaningful Funerals Companion Guide. Credit Cards Accepted

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12 12 PO Box Myrtle Beach, SC To: Please Use This Form For Donations Please accept my donation in the amount of $ to the fund specified below. General Fund Mi Shebeirach Yahrzeit Other Rabbi s Fund High Holy Day Fund High Holy Day Book Inscription $36 Mishkan T'filah $50 In Honor / Memory/On the Occasion of Please send an acknowledgement to: Name Address City State Zip

A Reform Congregation

Friday Services start at 7:30 PM Saturday Services start at 10:30 AM December, 2018 A Reform Congregation Volume 13, Issue 6 This year, the first night of Chanukah will be on Sunday evening, December 2.