Chalights JULY Delighted to be Coming Back North by Rabbi Jeffrey Kurtz-Lendner

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1 JULY 2016 Delighted to be Coming Back North by Rabbi Jeffrey Kurtz-Lendner I would venture to imagine that it is fairly uncommon to hear someone say I m looking forward to moving north to Mississippi. Yet we are coming from one of the few places in the country where that s true, having spent the last nine years in the Fort Lauderdale area. And when I say that we are coming back north, what I mean is that we are delighted to be coming north to be back in the South. We are coming home. I am from Buffalo. My wife is fourth generation Opelousas, Louisiana, which makes my children fifth generation Louisianians. When I was ordained back in 1995 my wife, Robin, said she wanted to move close to home. So I began my career at Hillel at Tulane University. After working there, then the New Orleans Jewish Community Center, I ended up as the first full time rabbi at Mandeville s Northshore Jewish Congregation. While I was working there, my children attended Henry S. Jacobs Camp, and our synagogue partnered with the Goldring/ Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Those partnerships helped me establish relationships in the region, and I became well acquainted with members of Jackson s Jewish community. I m not a native Southerner, but I grew to adopt the South as my own. When I was interviewing with the congregation, some participating in the interview were trying to sell me on Jackson and were quite surprised to learn that I didn t need to be sold. During the course of one meeting, a participant shared a story about an adventure an encounter with an alligator in one of the local parks. I laughed at the story. And then I declared to the participants, I m not sure which part is more unusual that your committee is trying to sell your community to a rabbi by sharing the story of an encounter with an alligator, or the fact that the rabbi is completely comfortable with the story! My years in Louisiana taught me about the richness of Jewish life in the South. It is a unique experience, yet one often experienced by our people for centuries. Throughout Jewish history there were always the first few Jews to settle in a new community, and there were many times when those communities remained small. What is uniquely American, however, is the way in which Southern Jews acculturated and were accepted into their communities. Jews in the South became involved in all aspects of the economic, governmental, professional and social communities in which they have lived. I have learned about it, but I have also lived it. I am coming now from a community with a 12% Jewish affiliation rate, and it excites me to be joining a congregation with a great deal of passion and commitment to ensure the success of the community. I had the chance to meet many of you during the interview process. I look forward to meeting so many more of you in the coming weeks. More importantly, I look forward to a long tenure of growing together and keeping our community strong. As we grow together to strengthen our community, I anticipate with excitement my partnering with you to help Jackson become my new home. And I look forward to seeing you as I move back up north to return to the South.

2 From the President... Many thanks to all who attended the semi-annual meeting in June. Your feedback during the table discussions was very helpful. We will share those ideas with board members and Rabbi Kurtz-Lendner and will work to address your suggestions. We are looking forward to welcoming Rabbi Kurtz-Lendner July 1 for services. Please join us for dinner following the services. Although the temple building is a bit quieter during the summer, there are still opportunities to be in touch with your Beth Israel family. Our Friday night and Saturday morning Shabbat services continue throughout the summer, and we welcome special guests, including Operation Understanding Philadelphia, who will join us for worship on July 22. If you are able to provide home hospitality July for a couple of these young people, please let Dana Larkin know. We have social parlor meetings/gatherings with Rabbi Kurtz-Lendner hosted by several Beth Israel congregants. This is a way for Rabbi Kurtz-Lendner to get to know all of us and for Beth Israel congregants to get to know each other better. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! Michele Schipper President REMINDER Article Deadline for the following: CHAILIGHTS 10 TH OF EVERY MONTH FRIDAY NIGHT LEAFLET 1:30 P.M. Wednesday BETH ISRAEL OFFICE HOURS Monday: CLOSED Tuesday: 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Thursday: 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Friday: 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Closed for lunch: 12:30-1:30 p.m. Page 2

3 Sisterhood Spotlight: A Message from the Sisterhood Co-Presidents SHALOM! Our new Sisterhood Board has been eagerly planning our calendar of activities for the year! We are excited about our popular Jewish holiday events, bringing back manicures, movies & other activities, and look forward to introducing Israeli Dancing, as well as an event(s) with other local Sisterhoods in Mississippi! A highlight of our Sisterhood year is the Membership Tea! Our Membership Tea will be on Sunday, August 14, 2016 from Noon - 2:00 PM at the home of Charna Schlakman. We will be sending out invitations, including Charna's address & directions to her home, in the next few weeks. Whether you are a returning Sisterhood member, have taken time off from Sisterhood recently, or are new to our community, we extend our hospitality to YOU -- the women in our Jewish community. We hope you will join us on this special day. Thank you to our Sisterhood Board for their enthusiasm and exciting vision. It is a pleasure to work with you, and we look forward to this coming year. Please be sure to let us know if you have any questions or concerns! Suzanne Freedman Co-President Suzfreedman@aol.com Frankie Springer Co-President fmspring5@gmail.com Best regards, Suzanne & Frankie Our next Sisterhood Book Club meeting will be held at the Temple Library, Sunday, July 10th at 11:00 a.m. Our July selection is Tomorrow There will be Apricots by Jessica Sofffer. Please plan to join us. This is a story about accepting the people we love the people we have to love and the people we choose to love, the families we re given and the families we make. It s the story of two women adrift in New York, a widow and an almost-orphan, each searching for someone she s lost. It s the story of how, even in moments of grief and darkness, there are joys waiting nearby. Lorca spends her life poring over cookbooks, making croissants and chocolat chaud, seeking out rare ingredients, all to earn the love of her distracted chef of a mother, who is now packing her off to boarding school. In one last effort to prove herself indispensable, Lorca resolves to track down the recipe for her mother s ideal meal, an obscure Middle Eastern dish called masgouf. Victoria, grappling with her husband s death, has been dreaming of the daughter they gave up forty years ago. An Iraqi Jewish immigrant who used to run a restaurant, she starts teaching cooking lessons; Lorca signs up. Together, they make cardamom pistachio cookies, baklava, kubba with squash. They also begin to suspect they are connected by more than their love of food. Soon, though, they must reckon with the past, the future, and the truth whatever it might be. Bukra fil mish mish, the Arabic saying goes. Tomorrow, apricots may bloom. Page 3

4 ***New Date*** Beth Israel Sisterhood We are ready to sail from New Orleans on the 4 DAY WESTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE December 1-5, 2016 Arrival Departure Day Port to Call Time Time Thursday New Orleans 4:00pm Friday Fun Day at Sea - Saturday Cozumel, Mexico 7:00 am 4:30pm Sunday Fun Day at Sea Monday New Orleans 8:00am $379 inside stateroom $399 ocean view stateroom $494 balcony stateroom (new option this year) Suite prices available on request Second Annual Beth Israel Congregation Golf Tournament Prices are per person, based on double occupancy Includes: port charges, taxes, meals, room service and entertainment. Triple occupancy rates available upon request Deposit: $150 due July 27, 2016 Final payment: due Sep. 28, 2016 Cancellation penalties/dates: Sep. 29, 2016: $150 Oct. 14, 2016: 50% Oct. 30, 2016: 75% Nov. 17, 2016: 100% For more information contact: Esther Roberts travelwithesther@yahoo.com Trip cancellation is additional and highly recommended Prices vary- usually between $49-69 per person McLeod Elementary School Literacy Day Page 4

5 Education Spotlight A MESSAGE FROM RABBI KASSOFF Confirmation Beth Israel Congregation was well represented at Sinai this erev Shavuot. On June 11th, our three confirmands Tovah Rubinsky, Hannah Guimbellot, and T.J. Grossman, led our congregation in a beautiful and moving service. We all received anew the gift of Torah as our young people confirmed their commitments to God, the Jewish people, Israel, tikkun olam (repair of the world), and life-long Jewish learning. They demonstrated their sincerity and understanding in word and deed, and inspired those of us present to renew our own Jewish commitments. Moments like this remind us what Jewish community and all those years of Sunday school are all about! Religious School Have ideas for religious school? Concerns? Just want to help? Contact Rabbi Kassoff at debra@bethisraelms.org or Religious School Wish List: Tablet and/or laptop in usable condition School photographer Teachers Religious School Parents: Check your for online registration link. Registration Deadline: August 5th. Yasher koach (continued strength) to our young people, mazal tov to their families, and mazal tov Beth Israel First session Jacobs campers and staff from BIC Announcing our New BITY advisors: Erica Abeles, Ben Russell, Sarah Printz Thomas; and our new BITY president, Hannah Guimbellot. Calling all high school students: if you have not been receiving text messages and phone calls during the school year about BITY events, debra@bethisraelms.org or call , ext. 4, with your name and contact information. BITY wants YOU! Page 5

6 PARLOR MEETINGS TO WELCOME OUR NEW RABBI Beth Israel is scheduling parlor meetings in congregants' homes this summer to welcome Rabbi Jeffrey Kurtz-Lendner to our community. If you have not signed up for one of the meetings, please contact Dana Larkin ( , or Debra Jacobs ( , Thank you for being a part of welcoming Rabbi Kurtz-Lendner. LET'S WELCOME RABBI KURTZ-LENDNER TO OUR COMMUNITY Rabbi Kurtz-Lendner will arrive on July 1st. In addition to the parlor meetings, we want to make the Rabbi feel welcome to our community by having "one on one time" with him, whether it will be in your home, taking him out to a restaurant or going to a special event with your family. We would like to schedule breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for as long as we can. The Rabbi is very interested in scheduling as many get togethers as possible. Let's start with July 1st through October 1st. You are welcome to continue after this date. Feel free to sign up for more than one time slot. Please text Tammy Rubinsky at or at tbrubinsky@comcast.net to let her know what day and meal you would like to entertain the Rabbi. Students from Operation Understanding Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will be traveling this summer down the east coast and throughout the South visiting civil rights and religious institutions. They are stopping in Jackson on Thursday, July 21st to Saturday, July 23rd. Sixteen rising high school seniors and two chaperones would like home hospitality during their stay. Our congregation has opened our homes to this wonderful group for the past ten to twelve years. Please let Dana Larkin ( or danaflarkin@gmail.com) know if you can house some of these visitors. We hope you will join the Operation Understanding group at services on Friday, July 22nd. If you are hosting an event at Beth Israel, please submit all requests, set-ups and/or special instructions on the Room Set-Up Form. You can get the form by stopping by the Temple Office or you can go to our website at We must have at least a 4 week notice for all set-ups. If you have any questions, call or text Gilbert Sollek at Page 6

7 WE APPRECIATE THE THOUGHTFULNESS OF THOSE WHO SUPPORT BETH ISRAEL BY REMEMBERING AND HONORING THEIR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES THROUGH THEIR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS Donations may be applied to the following funds, per your request: GENERAL FUND MEMBERSHIP & ENGAGEMENT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND TIKKUN OLAM FUND ENDOWMENT FUND ONEG FUND LIBRARY/PRAYER BOOK FUND WEBSITE FUND RABBI S DISCRETIONARY FUND SATURDAY MORNING FUND MUSIC FUND CEMETERY FUND CARING FUND (SISTERHOOD) ART FUND PROGRAM FUND JEWISH CINEMA MISSISSIPPI BITY RELIGIOUS SCHOOL BITY In Honor of High School Graduates: David Crystal, Benjamin Hearon, Lily Katz and Jonathan Springer Lynn Crystal CEMETERY FUND In Memory of Evelyn Wylen Lauren Rosenbaum Brown In Memory of Lucile Reisman Rosenbaum Lauren Rosenbaum Brown In Memory of Betty Mermelstein Morris Mermelstein In Memory of Evelyn Wylen Amy and Arty Finkelberg Donation Donna and Ted Orkin In Memory of Jonathan Blumenthal The Blumenthal Family In Memory of Leo Mermelstein Morris Mermelstein ENDOWMENT FUND In Honor of Lou Shornick s Birthday Kathryn Wiener MUSIC FUND In Honor of John Paul s Retirement Amy and Arty Finkelberg CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND Donation Donna and Ted Orkin GENERAL FUND Donation Ed Robertson RABBI S DISCRETIONARY FUND In Honor of Susan and Mark Fijman David Kweller SATURDAY MORNING FUND In Appreciation of Gino Giammarco ISJL JULY BIRTHDAYS 4 Phil Cohen 5 Betty C. Crystal 6 Susan Snyder 7 Sally Cohen 7 Jonathan Sledge 8 Suzanne Freedman 8 Richard Gavant 9 Diann Hesdorffer 9 Joan Burwell 9 Lisa Pence 10 Cheryl Metz 12 Susan Rockoff 12 Sylvia Kassoff 12 Ellen Hart 14 Stacey Mitchell 15 Breaunne Hirshman 17 Carey Emmich 21 Michel Rivlin 22 Alexander Goldstein 22 Judy Wiener 23 Benjamin Orlansky 24 Jon Rost 26 Judith Wahba 28 Brandon Schlakman 28 Joann Eisenstatt 29 Edward Erlich 29 Steve Orlansky 30 Stephen Rozman 30 Ellis Hart 30 Tammy Rubinsky 30 Robert Smith 31 Michelle Ivshin 31 Theodore Abeles 31 Nafie Sollek JULY ANNIVERSARIES 4 Joel and Debra Jacobs 6 Greg and Robyn Pollack 7 Bert and Tammy Rubinsky 14 Eric and Lynda Balfour 19 Bob and Jill Lazarus 23 Richard and Arna Miller 27 Richard and Judy Stamm Page 7

8 Non-Profit Org U. S. POSTAGE PAID Permit #123 JACKSON, MS Located: 5315 Old Canton Road Jackson, MS Mailing Address: P. O. Box Jackson, MS Phone: (601) Fax: (601) bethisraelms.org We Remember Yahrzeits for JULY 2016 June 26-July 2 Lena Kahn *Walter Berman Isadore Beckerman Sumner Levine Shirley Kreisman Davera Goldstein *Edwin Ascher Gussie Roffwarg Joseph Elfassy Carla Willenzik Stuart Altshool Celia Rozman July 3-July 9 Richard Vavrick Myles Jaffee Leo Mermelstein Alfred Jefferson Emily Magidson Wolfie Cohen *Bertha S. Rubinsky Gerson Gran Rose Rosenzweig Chalom Charles Elfassy Eldora Judlin Joseph Berg Marilyn Spielman Lona Cohen July 10-July 16 Victor Gorelik Gerald Alpern Harold Rosenzweig Martin Chamow *Vladimir Ivshin *Fay Lewis Berman Henrietta Goldberg *Laurence Gavant Ernest Workman Barbara Zelmon Rabbi Meyer Lovitt Ralph Katz Tillie Friedman Sarah Teeman Bloom Jeanette Ettinger Jeanette Smith Louise Stamm *Simon Waisbrod Frances Davidson Betty Hyde George Davis Florence Robbins July 17-July 23 *Joseph Emile Berman Ruby Stern Bret Diamond Robert Zipser Lucile Rosenbaum Peter Brannan Elvyn Spencer Sol Blumenthal Freda Lewis *Celia Falk Christopher Dimattia George J. Gordon Jacob Elfassy *Allan Mitchell Sam Levy Reuben Gavant *Marvin Cohen Lewis Plotkin William Sklar Anita Sherr Norman Kaminsky *Myer A. Lewis *Bennett Freedman *Flo Berman *Harriet Trubman Paul Mandel Michele Krock Albert Clark Irene Liverman *John Simon Diana Weiss Anne Fishman James Lawson July 31-August 6 Lois Steiner Jess Docter Vera Marsden Edward Spielman Ida Sebulsky Maude Lehman Kathleen Waxman Sandra Klingler *Lev Aronov Pearl Bress Eric Stessmann *Maxine Harris *Lillian Crystal Michele Fijman Herbert Nash Isaac Snyder Bill Byous Solomon C.Waxman Nina Ivshin Edward Fisch Yetta Kaplan George Moorhead *Memorial Alcove