The Shofar. Sunday, December 10, 5:00 p.m. Burgauer Hall

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1 December, 2017 Congregation House of Israel 13 Kislev - 13 Tevet, 5778 Sunday, December 10, 5:00 p.m. Burgauer Hall $10.00 per adult CHI Member and Guests Children and Guest Children of Members 18 and under FREE Non-members - $20.00 per adult Non-member children $10.00 per child Please plan on joining us for our annual Hanukkah Party. We will begin with entertainment from our religious school and then move on to Chicken, Salad and Latkes for dinner with dessert to follow. This year Sisterhood is taking care of providing the meal so please just show up and enjoy yourselves. Please send your checks made out to Sisterhood to: If you are bringing guests please include payment for them in your check and pay the congregation price. We need an accurate count so we can provide the proper amount of food so please have you check in by Friday, December 1. Your check is your reservation. Ruth Sedler 152 Blue Heron Drive Hot Springs AR 71913

2 Thank You We would like to thank the following donors for their contributions (as of November 20, 2017) General Fund Donations in loving memory of Stuart Klompus Barbara Morgan Betty and Louis Kleinman Brian and Torie Waxler Carla and Joe Mouton Carli Waxler Baker and Chris Baker Carol and Shelly Kleinman Charlie and Linda Padgham Diana and Les Surfas Hal and Sue Koppel Harriett and Imy Marcus Jenny Wallace Jerry Tanenbaum Julie and Chuck Jerrell Karen, Nir and Zohar Lavi Kenneth and Annette Baim Kermit and Mary Ann Tucker Kim and Yossi Baron Larry and Peggy Stanley Laura and Stu Rubens Marilyn and Harvey Lebson Michael and Sharon Waxler Ross and Ruth Sedler Steven and Clarissa Kirsch Stuart and Kay Fleischner Sue and Arnold Kohn Thea and Bob Mathis Vincent and Lee Opromolla Wayne and Helen Ball Sharon Waxler In loving memory of Ada Litwack Gary L. Brown In honor of the Bar Mitzvah of Cooper Jack Bull In loving memory of Rosalind Goltz Hudson Barbara Morgan In loving memory of Bob Sody Arnold, husband of Lori Arnold Dennis and Anita Williams In loving memory of Leland H. Williams, father of Dennis Williams In loving memory of Joyce B. Boswell, mother of Anita Williams Published monthly by: Congregation House of Israel PO Box Quapaw Hot Springs, AR (501) Website: Editor: Shelly Kleinman Webmaster: Shelly Kleinman Editorial Assistance: Anita Williams to: Submissions due the 15th of the prior month. Distributed free to members, prospective members, local clergy and other interested parties. Karen Holcomb In honor of the B nai Mitzvah of Tillie and Louis Reagler Carol and Shelly Kleinman In loving memory of Alyce Brand, sister of Carol Kleinman In honor of Karen Baim Reagler and Sherrill Nicolosi receiving of the Tikun Olam Reward In loving memory of Lila Chapin, mother of Rabbi Richard Chapin Louis and Betty Kleinman In loving memory of Lila Chapin, mother of Rabbi Richard Chapin Kim and Yossi Baron In loving memory of Lila Chapin, mother of Rabbi Richard Chapin Ruth and Ross Sedler In loving memory of Lila Chapin, mother of Rabbi Richard Chapin Steven and Clarissa Kirsch In loving memory of Mark Spitzer Building Fund Dennis and Anita Williams For work on the sanctuary Page 2

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4 ARZA - World Union My Open Heart is Leading Me on an Unending Journey By Ella Steiner I began by looking for a place to study Judaism. I knew I wanted to do it my way in an environment that wouldn t intimidate me, but would challenge me by allowing me to grow as I figured out my place in the Jewish world. Having been raised as a secular Israeli, I had, after my army duty, experienced briefly the National Orthodox movement through a boyfriend who was deeply involved in that world. This experience helped me begin my religious journey. Then, I went to OSRUI and discovered Reform Judaism yet another way to be Jewish. I found something of interest in each of these three directions, but I also had a lot of questions. I realized, that no matter where I turned, I would find someone who would show me Judaism through their eyes. I needed to find a Judaism that I could see with my own eyes. So, I looked for a place to study Judaism in the most neutral manner, ending up at Ein Prat, an Israeli midrasha (institute for study) for secular and religious Jews, with men and women studying Judaism in a pluralistic fashion. I was surprised to find among the other students many with a similar experience sh lichim (emissaries) from a variety of American summer camps who returned to Israel also searching for a way to maintain the process that they began in America. There, I recognized my desire to be a sh licha, like a reflex. For instance, someone who became one of my closest friends grew up in Efrat as an Orthodox Jew, but after learning about the Reform experience from me, she became intrigued and today worships at a Reform congregation in Jerusalem. Along with another sh liach, who was in a Reform camp in Boston, I sang Birkat HaMazon, the blessing after meals, to the non-reform Jews among us, which led to fascinating conversations about what we discovered in Reform Judaism. Suddenly, Israelis who grew up without knowing anything about Reform Judaism were intrigued. overseeing 30 Israelis between the ages of 19-25, who were general counselors and specialists. I was also in charge of Israeli programming at camp. A big difference for me between the two summers was that last summer I was getting to know the Reform Movement as a stranger. This summer, I returned as someone who had made a conscious decision to be there as a Reform Jew. I could teach and focus the sh lichim on Reform Judaism, just as I needed that focus a year ago, all of which made me realize that I had found a true home in the Reform Movement. During 2017, I worked with rabbis and educators who opened my mind and showed me how many good people we have in the Reform Movement, people with vision who are doing amazing work, one more awe-inspiring than the next. I watched as the new sh lichim went through a process like the one I went through the summer before arriving at camp with antagonism and disrespect toward religion and ending up at a place of respect and engagement. Now, I am beginning my studies at Hebrew University, and I am curious to see where this path will lead me. But I am not leaving the world of sh lichut; I will continue working at the Jewish Agency, winnowing out a new cohort of sh lichim for next summer. As I do this work, I continually ask myself numerous questions: How can we leverage the amazing reality that hundreds of other sh lichim and I are exposed to in North America each year and return it to Israel? How can we build on the tremendous passion of sh lichim who experience summer camp in North America and then return to Israel? How can we raise up this energy instead of letting it fade? How can we maintain the activism and enthusiasm we had at summer camp so that all of us can be part of a vibrant Reform Jewish future in Israel? There is a Hebrew saying I learned during my first year at camp and now is always in my heart: Let my feet lead me to the place that my heart loves. Open my heart to love the place that my feet go. This is the journey I am on, an unexpected one for sure, but I can t wait to see where my open heart leads me. This past summer, I returned to OSRUI as rosh mishlachat, the head of the Israeli delegation, Page 4

5 Life and Legacy Plan Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is a celebration of devotion, determination, bravery, and miracles. The story of the rededication of the Holy Temple, and the military victories of Judah and the Macabees, remind us each year that the legacy of Jews lives on, generation after generation. The Life and Legacy Plan is a partnership among CHI, JFAR, and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, whose purpose is to promote and ensure the great legacies of the Jewish people will continue. L & L is asking congregants and friends of the Congregation to support the plan to ensure Jewish tomorrows. This is done by signing a Letter of Intent - a pledge- to make a future, after-life commitment to include CHI (and/or our other Central Arkansas Jewish Congregations and organizations) as a beneficiary in your Will, Trust, life insurance policy, Annuity, IRA, or any other form of post-death gifting. NO MONEY IS REQUESTED NOW! There are no minimums, and no contracts to sign. A monetary incentive grant of $5,000 is available to CHI if L & L receives 18 new Letters by March, CHI recently received the first of the two incentive grant checks from JFAR. Time is quickly running out for L & L to secure the balance of the new Letters, to receive the final grant money. Please contact one of our L & L team members to join the effort to promote our Jewish legacies, and maintain a presence in our community for generations to come. To sign a Letter of Intent, contact Karen Baim Reagler, Sherrill Nicolosi. Stuart Fleischner, or Rabbi Chapin. Reform Leader Beaten at Western Wall The sky was cloudless when the group gathered in the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday morning to celebrate the ordination of four new Reform rabbis. But when they tried to enter the Western Wall complex, security guards physically accosted them, attempting to keep them from bringing Torahs onto the main plaza. In the ensuing chaos, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest Jewish denomination in the United States, was nearly maced. Another rabbi was thrown to the ground. A student of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion was struck in the head and required medical attention. The episode was the latest clash among security guards, ultra-orthodox men and non-orthodox groups at Judaism s holiest site. The rabbinic authority that controls the Western Wall gives out Torahs to visiting groups that follow its rules, like not letting women touch the scrolls. In protest, groups like Women of the Wall and other Conservative and Reform contingents bring their own, leading to increasingly violent showdowns. Today was a joyful day, it was a milestone, and it was marred by the aggressive, violent response from the guards, Jacobs said. According to multiple witnesses, a security guard held a can of mace inches from Jacobs s face and threatened to spray him with it. Earlier this month, rabbis protesting the rules against egalitarian services were pulled to the ground by Haredi men trying to rob them of their Torahs. Israel s Supreme Court issued a ruling this week questioning why security forces at the Wall are not doing more to protect non-orthodox workers. Shmuel Rabinovitch, a Haredi rabbi who serves as the overseer of the Western Wall and other religious sites, could not be reached for comment. He has called the actions of groups like the URJ and Women of the Wall a plague and incitement to a civil war. Thursday s altercation came during day-long Continued on page 9 Page 5

6 Ellis Stuart Klompus By Ben Klompus Ben Klompus is the son of Stuart Klompus. This eulogy was delivered during the Memorial Service on Monday, November 6, at Congregation House of Israel. You all know that dad would be incredibly aggravated by all of this the suits, the ties, the flowers, the shortage of parking outside, the general tumult old people are sickening, he would say. And let me say this. This is the hardest thing that I have ever done. Today, we say goodbye, and thank you, to my dad, Ellis Stuart Klompus, a beloved spouse, a devoted father, an endeared brother, a dear friend who has made our lives richer because of his presence in it. And as hard it is to say goodbye to dad, I feel joy looking out at my children, all 99 of them, Simon, Noah, James, Eamon, and Gavin who I love, just as fervently as my dad loved me. And, boys, you should know, as hard as this is this is the way it is supposed to be. You see, Dad lived a blessed life of almost 79 years on this planet. He was born to Estelle and Alan Klompus on December 31, 1938 a time when the minimum wage was 25 cents an hour, the average cost of a new house was $3,900, unemployment rose to almost 19%, racial and religious persecution was the norm, and with WWII and the holocaust around the corner, the world was ushering in what would become one of the most tragic world events in human history. For a guy who we all came to rely on to fix our computers it is easy to forget that he was born a damn long time ago. While most of us probably think that he s been retired since then we all know the role that his profession, as a pilot, played in shaping his identity as a parent, as a friend, a spouse, and as a father. Page 6 Everything about him was tied up with being a pilot. As a boy and even today, I remain astounded by the fact that over the course of his career, he spent tens of thousands of hours safely hurling himself and hundreds of thousands of people through the atmosphere all over the world. He was among the best at what he did and would regularly remind us of how the skills that he developed as a pilot made him above average at executing life with tremendous precision and clarity. He would cite cat like pilot reflexes as the reason he could consistently beat me in ping pong. He would plan the precise time that we needed to leave the house to go get the oil changed in the car. Whenever I returned home, he d usher me into the office to show me the emergency checklist that would provide a road map for how to deal with the unexpected. In fact, in the last few days, mom and I realized that he amended this checklist with additional details that were high on his mind: no joke- remember to clean the grill was a bullet point. Seriously. As I think about what my dad taught me, I am reminded of two scrolls that I have kept in my backpack for many years that remind me of my dad. These scrolls come from Rabbi Simcha Bunem who was known to carry two slips of paper with him at all times on one of which he wrote for my sake the world was created. On the other he wrote I am but dust and ashes. In these two scrolls we are asked to simultaneously hold two seemingly contradictory world outlooks. Dad lived as if the world was created for him. He grabbed life by the horns and made it what he wanted. With my mom, he found a one of a kind partner. With his profession, he often remarked that he couldn t believe he actually got paid to do what he loved every day. As a dad, he gave my sister and I a life that I, as a dad, am finding out is really hard to replicate. Travel the world, mess about

7 in boats, play sports, go to camp, make art, make music, pursue an education, build a career that you too can t believe you get paid to do. And beyond the hubris that it takes to believe that the world was created for him, he also lived as if he were nothing more than dust and ashes. Our lives could change in a moment, he would say. Assume the best but plan for the worst. Our health is all we really have. Affirmed by my sister s untimely sickness and his own brave acceptance of his own mortality, he reminds us that the giant countdown clock in the sky does not stand still for anyone. And this is what I think led him to achieve what may be the longest and most successful retirement of anyone I know. For the past 26 years, he lived as if each day were his last staying nowhere for more than two weeks, circling the globe with mom to nurture close friendships, see new things, and become deeply woven into the fabric of his children s and grand children s lives. Boys, your tutu loved you more than you will ever know. Janine, dad could not be more proud of who you are and what add to our family. Melissa your own bravery fighting cancer gave dad the strength to do the same. Glen my dad loved you for the way that you love my sister. And mom oh mom he knew he had it good with you. With you as his partner, his life was made richer a thousand times. The love you had for each other is a beacon for us all to reach towards. Since the last time I think I was at this bemah was my Bar Mitzvah, I think it is only appropriate to end with a blessing. Please repeat after me: May the life of this good, unique, and loving man, Stuart Klompus Give us the foresight to make it to each appointment on time Give us the knowledge to take care of our own boats, arrange our own flights, lock our own doors, and manage our own air conditioning. Give us the belief in ourselves to believe that we can change the world Give us the strength to live every day as if were our last Dad, I m going to miss you. Thank you for being exactly who you were. For all of you, friends and family of dad, thank you. Thank you for your friendship to my dad. The trips, the dinner parties, the cruises, the endless banter back and forth over text, served to fill dad with joy. For those of us who have lived in Hot Springs and elsewhere know how unique the friendships are in this room. Its been 22 years since I moved away; I still don t think this kind of thing exists anywhere else. On behalf of dad, I ask us to pause, and reflect on three questions he has had me consider for some time. Are you doing what you love? Are you surrounded by who you love? What are you going to accomplish today to answer yes with even more conviction tomorrow? Page 7

8 Congregation House of Israel Board of Directors Rabbi Richard Chapin Dennis Williams, President Hal Koppel, Treasurer Barbara Morgan Millie Baron, Sisterhood Ira Kleinman Ruth Sedler David D. Reagler Patti Fleischner David Kirsch Jerry Tanenbaum, ARZA-World Union Stuart Fleischner, Immediate Past President Dec 1 Dec 8 Dec 15 Dec 22 Dec 29 Thank you to the following for sponsoring an Oneg during the month of December: Yossi and Kim Baron Oded Grenman David and Glenda Kirsch Michael and Sharon Waxler Stuart and Kay Fleischner Ira and Stephanie Kleinman Goltz Girls and Cooper Jack Bull Dennis and Anita Williams Kathy Klein Reminder: If you are scheduled for an upcoming Oneg and need to change dates, please find someone to switch with and then let Ruth Sedler know so the information printed in the bulletin will be correct. Refuah Shelemah The following people are in our thoughts and prayers: Barbara Schlesinger Angie Tollefson Louis Kleinman JoAnne Reagler Ken Baim Rabbi Mark Miller Imy Marcus Robert Burns Sherrill Nicolosi Please offer prayers that they all have a full and speedy recovery. If you are aware of anyone needing spiritual or any sort of assistance, please let Barbara Morgan know. Our Caring Committee is here to help all of our members in any way we possibly can. Page 8

9 December Yahrzeits Kaddish Recited December 1 Adolph Korngut Father of Fred Korngut Fletcher Young Grandfather of Gary Lax Warner Kass Husband of Lynda Kass Sharona Grenman Wife of Oded Grenman Mother of Elan Grenman Kaddish Recited December 8 Alyce Brand Sister of Carol Kleinman Bernice Waxler Mother of Michael Waxler Kaddish Recited December 15 Naomi Tanenbaum Mother of Jerry Tanenbaum Minnie Schlesinger Mother-in-law of Barbara Schlesinger Kaddish Recited December 22 Lynn Raines Kirsch Wife of Steven Kirsch Nellie Sheets Mother of Mary Klompus Kaddish Recited December 29 Hyman Rabinowitz Grandfather of Betty Feir Dora Taxer Mother of Sheldon (Shep) Taxer Birthdays & Anniversaries December Anniversaries Imy and Harriett Marcus Dec 17 Brad and Elaine Wolken Dec 26 December Birthdays Sally Nicolosi Dec 6 Sophie Fleischner Dec 7 Ed Berkun Dec 17 Sherrill Nicolosi Dec 20 Kim Baron Dec 22 Frances Iverson Dec 30 Condolences Our heartfelt condolences are offered to Mary Klompus and her family on the loss of her beloved husband, Stuart Klompus. Our heartfelt condolences are offered to Rabbi Richard Chapin on the passing of his mother, Lila Chapin. Reform Leader Beaten at Western Wall Continued from page 5 festivities for the ordination of the 100th Israeli Reform rabbi. Anat Hoffman, leader of Women at the Wall, a group that organizes regular prayer services for women at the Western Wall plaza, was one of the Torah bearers for the group. She said she is worried about the increasingly violent opposition to egalitarian services at the Wall. The way things are now, the writing s on the wall this is gonna end in bloodshed, she said. We are sitting ducks. Page 9

10 Weekly Parshah December Vayishlach December 2 Jacob returns to the Holy Land after a 20-year stay in Charan, and sends emissaries to Esau in hope of a reconciliation, but his messengers report that his brother is on the warpath with 400 armed men. Jacob prepares for war, prays, and sends Esau a large gift (consisting of hundreds of heads of sheep and cattle) to appease him. That night, Jacob ferries his family and possessions across the Yabbok River; he, however, remains behind and encounters the angel that embodies the spirit of Esau, with whom he wrestles until daybreak. Jacob suffers a dislocated hip but vanquishes the supernal creature, who bestows on him the name Israel, which means He who prevails over the Divine. Vayeishev December 9 Jacob settles in Hebron with his twelve sons. His favorite is 17-yearold Joseph, whose brothers are jealous of the preferential treatment he receives from his father, such as a precious many-colored coat that Jacob makes for Joseph. Joseph relates to his brothers two dreams he has which foretell that he is destined to rule over them, increasing their envy and hatred towards him. Shimon and Levi plot to kill him, but Reuben suggests that they throw him into a pit instead, intending to come back later and save him. While Joseph is in the pit, Judah has him sold to a band of passing Ishmaelites. The brothers dip Joseph s special coat in the blood of a goat and show it to their father, leading him to believe that his most beloved son was devoured by a wild beast. Mikeitz December 16 Joseph s imprisonment finally ends when Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows that are swallowed up by seven lean cows, and of seven fat ears of grain swallowed by seven lean ears. Joseph interprets the dreams to mean that seven years of plenty will Page 10 be followed by seven years of hunger, and advises Pharaoh to store grain during the plentiful years. Pharaoh appoints Joseph governor of Egypt. Joseph marries Asenath, daughter of Potiphar, and they have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Famine spreads throughout the region, and food can be obtained only in Egypt. Ten of Joseph s brothers come to Egypt to purchase grain; the youngest, Benjamin, stays home, for Jacob fears for his safety. Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him; he accuses them of being spies, insists that they bring Benjamin to prove that they are who they say they are, and imprisons Simeon as a hostage. Later, they discover that the money they paid for their provisions has been mysteriously returned to them. Vayigash December 23, Judah approaches Joseph to plead for the release of Benjamin, offering himself as a slave to the Egyptian ruler in Benjamin s stead. Upon witnessing his brothers loyalty to one another, Joseph reveals his identity to them. I am Joseph, he declares. Is my father still alive? The brothers are overcome by shame and remorse, but Joseph comforts them. It was not you who sent me here, he says to them, but G-d. It has all been ordained from Above to save us, and the entire region, from famine. Va-y chi December 30 Jacob desires to reveal the end of days to his children, but is prevented from doing so. Jacob blesses his 12 sons, assigning to each his role as a tribe: Judah will produce leaders, legislators and kings; priests will come from Levi, scholars from Issachar, seafarers from Zebulun, schoolteachers from Shimon, soldiers from Gad, judges from Dan, olive growers from Asher, and so on. Reuben is rebuked for confusing his father s marriage ; Shimon and Levi for the massacre of Shechem and the plot against Joseph. Naphtali is granted the swiftness of a deer, Benjamin the ferociousness of a wolf, and Joseph is blessed with beauty and fertility.