The Vibrant Activities of The New Reform Temple

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students in a Torah service during worship.

Devra Lerner co-leads this service with Rabbi Londy.

Hanukkah Cocktail Party hosted by Brad and Theresa Freilich.

Hanukkah pieces. A Book Review of Betty Barnett s Adam s Needle was hosted by Deedee King.

1 January 2017 Vol. 51, No. 4 The Vibrant Activities of The New Reform Temple Rabbi Londy leads the religious school students in a Torah service during worship. A school wide morning worship service beings every Sunday school session. Devra Lerner co-leads this service with Rabbi Londy. Carol Meyers, Ellen Murphy and Symie Menitove enjoy The New Reform Temple s 1st Annual Hanukkah Cocktail Party hosted by Brad and Theresa Freilich. Nathan and Becky Bliss provided a wonderful selection of their own music plus several Hanukkah pieces. A Book Review of Betty Barnett s Adam s Needle was hosted by Deedee King. The book explores a variety of social issues including anti-semitism. Betty Barnett and Linda Lyon are shown in the picture. Our Marion and Henry Bloch Religious School students enjoy the Hanukkah game Dreidel. The Sunday before Hanukkah is filled with a variety of activities in anticipation of the Holiday.

2 Ann L. Darke President Tom Barnett First Vice President THE NEW REFORM TEMPLE 7100 Main Street at Gregory Kansas City, Missouri Phone: Fax: Ann K. Baum Second Vice President Leslie Mark Secretary Tom Isenberg Treasurer Worship Hours Rabbi Alan Londy, D. Min. Board of Directors Daniel Fromm Michael Grossman Past Presidents Arthur L. Stern Life Director Irwin E. Blond Michael Braude Robert N. Epsten Bradley Freilich, M.D. Donna Holmes Barb Kovacs Barbara MacArthur Sue McCord-Belzer Edward Porter Theodore Prince Beth G. Thompson Steven R. Unterman, M.D. January :00 p.m. January :00 a.m. January :00 p.m. January :00 a.m. January :00 p.m. January :00 a.m. January :00 p.m. January :00 a.m. 50 th Anniversary Events Honor the Past and Look to the Future January 12 Movie Night A Bottle in the Gaza Sea February 16 Movie Night 24 Days March 9 Movie Night Inventing Our Life March 31-April 2 Krasne Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Gary Zola April 6 Movie Night A Day in October May 4 Movie Night Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story May 6 50 th Anniversary Celebration May 19 NRT Annual Meeting May 30 Confirmation Service September 21 Rosh Hashanah Day - Dedication of Holocaust Torah November 7-19 NRT Pilgrimage to Germany Winter Food Drive Jewish Family Services, in partnership with the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City, has teamed up with area congregations in response to the ever-growing need for food assistance in Kansas City. Our congregation has been asked to collect donations of soup, crackers, and Kleenex during the month of January. These items will be stocked in the JFS Food pantry and will provide food for more than 200 households in our community. Please drop off you food donation in the collection barrel located in our Temple s lobby through the month of January.

Fifth Annual Reel Judaism... Explore the Modern Jewish Experience in Film Reel Judaism offers films that explore the Modern Jewish experience.

All movies are shown at the Sulgrave Condominium Screening Room at 121 W. 48 th Street, KCMO and begin at 7:00 p.m. The series is free. Non-members are welcome.

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea Length: 99 minutes Based on the internationally bestselling novel by Valerie Zenatti. 17- year-old Tal has emigrated from France to Jerusalem with her family.

3 Fifth Annual Reel Judaism... Explore the Modern Jewish Experience in Film Reel Judaism offers films that explore the Modern Jewish experience. This series includes foreign and domestic films that illustrate some dimension of Jewish life, history, or identity. Join other members of the congregation in this wonderful night at the movies. All movies are shown at the Sulgrave Condominium Screening Room at 121 W. 48 th Street, KCMO and begin at 7:00 p.m. The series is free. Non-members are welcome. Reservations are required, please call the NRT office at to RSVP. Thursday, January 12, 7:00 p.m. A Bottle in the Gaza Sea Length: 99 minutes Based on the internationally bestselling novel by Valerie Zenatti. 17- year-old Tal has emigrated from France to Jerusalem with her family. She writes a letter expressing her refusal to accept that only hatred can reign between Israelis and Palestinians. She slips the letter into a bottle, and her brother throws it into the sea near Gaza, where he is carrying out his military service. A few weeks later, Tal receives an e- mail response from a mysterious "Gazaman," a young Palestinian named Naim. Thus, begins a turbulent but tender long-distance friendship between two young people that are separated by a history they are trying both to understand and change. Thursday, February 16 7:00 p.m. 24 Days Length: 110 minutes French director Alexandre Arcady delivers one of the most "wrenching and politically astute" films to come out of France (Screen Daily). 24 Days is based on the real-life events that occurred to Ilan Halimi. Halimi was a Jewish salesman living in Paris when he was kidnapped by African immigrants who were known as the "Gang of Barbarians." They held him captive for more than three weeks, during which time they attempted to ransom him back to family. This event shocked the nation, and forced a national conversation about anti-semitism. For 24 days the Police, insistent upon handling the case as a normal for-ransom kidnapping, fail to recognize the anti-semitic hatred of his abductors Krasne Scholar in Residence with Rabbi Gary Zola Friday, March 31- Sunday, April 2 Rabbi Gary Zola will be our Krasne Scholar-In-Residence the weekend of Friday, March 31 through Sunday April 2, Rabbi Zola is the Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA) and the Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor of the American Jewish Experience & Reform Jewish History at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati. NRT Social Justice Committee Responds to Refugee Need A Syrian refugee and former music teacher who had to flee without his violin will receive a donated violin from the New Reform Temple, thanks to a member of the Social Justice Committee. The violin was just sitting in our closet, and after learning there was a need, I decided to donate it. Rabbi Londy and the donor presented the violin at the Jewish Vocational Services headquarters which will enable the teacher receiving it to enjoy playing the violin and to give music lessons again. If you have items to donate that JVS can use to furnish apartments for refugees, you can schedule a pick up by calling The Social Justice Committee promotes food access, refugee support, and violence reduction justice issues in Kansas City. The next meeting will be January 12th at 5:30 in The Krasne Room.

4 The New Reform Temple. Past, Present, Future By Rabbi Alan Londy What makes Jewish life so exciting is the evolution of local customs. So much diversity exists within Judaism because Jews have been spread all over the world and thus developed their own unique local traditions. When I first arrived at The New Reform Temple, it took me a while to adjust to our customs. But, in truth, what makes a congregation interesting is learning about its customs and understanding what they express about the history and values of the congregation. Members of The New Reform Temple were confused when I referred to our congregation as a synagogue. People would say to me: When did we become a synagogue? Somehow calling our congregation a synagogue seemed to them more than semantics. Some felt that I was changing something fundamental about our institution. In truth, a synagogue and temple are interchangeable terms in modern Judaism. However, the use of the term temple for referring to a synagogue does have an important meaning within Reform Judaism that is worth understanding. Traditionally, Jewish congregations were known as kehillot kodesh, or Holy Assemblies. They were also referred to as batei knesset, or Houses of Assembly. The Greek translation synagogue means assembly. When the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, the synagogue became more vitally central to the establishment of Jewish communities all over the world. When the Reform movement arose in the first decade of the 19th century, the first temple was established in Hamburg, Germany. The use of the name temple was intentional. It was a statement about the traditional belief in the restoration of the ancient Temple in messianic times. These Jewish reformers believed that Jewish continuity in the modern civil state was to be maintained by avoiding any whiff of dual loyalty. Could Jews be good German citizens and still hope and pray for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple? Would it be a contradiction to the essence of their newly acquired status as emancipated Jews with rights of citizenship? The establishment of the Hamburg Temple was thus a statement that Hamburg was their Jerusalem, and that their temple was a replacement for the ancient Temple that had stood there before. This trend continued for well over a hundred years. Since the late 1920s, Reform ideology has moved a long way from those days in Hamburg. The name temple, however, remained, and in the 1950s and 60s spread to the Conservative movement as well. People have come to realize that calling The New Reform Temple a synagogue is matter of habit rather than theology. However, it is true that we, at The New Reform Temple, believe that the synagogue is the foundation of Jewish life. Our goal is not rooted in rebuilding some building in Jerusalem when the Messiah comes. Our job is, as American Jews, to build a vibrant congregation which blends the best of Judaism and American democratic values. What I find remarkable about The New Reform Temple is the depth of commitment that exists within the congregation. We have many active members of various ages who have roots deeply implanted in the history of Jewish Kansas City and the founding of The New Reform Temple 50 years ago. One of the key elements of our 50th anniversary year has been our commitment to raising $1,000,000 for our endowment. These funds will not be used for day to day expenses. They are being carefully invested by the Jewish Community Foundation and the interest from these investments will be used for the operation of our congregation in the future. As of this writing, our 50th Anniversary Committee has done a remarkable job raising funds. I believe that we will make our goal if every member of our congregation does their part to achieve this goal. (Of course, some people have chosen not to make endowment gifts and have given directly to the synagogue for the support of current programing.) In the I Chronicles, Chapter 29, Jewish scriptures speak about the support within the Israelite nation for the building of 1st Temple by King Solomon: 6 Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king s work gave willingly. We have been reliving this ancient moment of generosity as members of the synagogue have

5 donated funds to our endowment to ensure the future vitality of our congregation. As Jewish life evolves, all synagogues will be sustained not only by dues and fees but by the resources that past generations have established for the perpetuation of our houses of worship. The level of commitment of our committee to raise endowment funds has been remarkable. The committee is vibrant, committed and sensitive to this holy undertaking. All the efforts of the committee are being done with great dignity. Similarly, the level of generosity that has already been shown is touching because it indicates that The New Reform Temple is important for people now and in the future. What will the next fifty years look like for The New Reform Temple? I do not have the chutzpah to pretend that I can predict the future. However, I am confident that there are goals that we will certain realize: Reaching out to Jewish millennials who are the future of Jewish life. Engaging our entire congregation in life-long Jewish learning. Energizing our entire congregation to do volunteer work in the community. Finding cutting-edge ways to communicate with our members and the Jewish community. Enriching our worship experiences. Cultivating opportunities for people to become more connected to each other. Upgrading our facility so that there is greater flexibility in its utilization. We should all be optimistic about The New Reform Temple. The best is yet to come. We are Deeply Appreciative of the Following Written Pledges Received for the 50 th Anniversary Endowment Fund Campaign Anonymous Howard & Jenny Barewin Tom & Carol Barnett Kenneth & Ann Baum Irvin Belzer & Sue McCord-Belzer Henry Bloch Kenneth & Lisa Block Irwin & Sharyn Blond Jeffrey & Stevi Brick Pati Chasnoff Barton & Phyllis Cohen Steve & Nancy Colley Ann Darke Robert Epsten Ernest & Barbara Fleischer David Goodman Michael & Megan Grossman Mary Gunter John & Reesa Helzberg Jean Hiersteiner Joseph & Catherine Hiersteiner Tom & Ann Isenberg Deedee King Rabbi Alan & Jane Londy Richard & Barbara MacArthur Henry & Betty Jo Marder Darren & Leslie Mark Jack & Fran Mayer Harold & Marilyn Melcher Jay & Symie Menitove Carol Meyers Ed & Karen Porter Ted & Sara Prince Ben Proffer John & Arlene Rubenstein Morton & Estelle Sosland Sosland Foundation Charles & Jeanne Sosland Meyer & Mindy Sosland Arthur & Barbara Stern Eugene Strauss Steven Unterman & Ellen Murphy Ken Weiner & Pam Fleischer Craig & Carol Wilson Thank you all for your written commitment.

6 From the Marion and Henry Bloch Religious School In Reform Judaism, synagogue worship is an essential Jewish activity. One of the goals of our religious school is to cultivate practical skills for our students so that they can feel comfortable in the worship services of our temple. In the past two years, we have inserted into the curriculum some Hebrew reading skills so that our students can participate more fully in the Hebrew parts of our congregational service. For those of our students who will become B nai Mitzvah at The New Reform Temple, these skills give them a head start in their preparation. A key dimension of our synagogue worship literacy goal is our interactive Sunday morning Religious School Service. Rabbi Alan Londy, our spiritual leader, and Devra Lerner, our Religious School Music Specialist lead our students and parents in an interactive morning worship experience. Rabbi Londy always offers some lesson for the students and families. Our weekly service is integral to our program. We know that getting the family out the door on Sunday mornings can be challenging. However, we want to make sure that every student has a full worship experience on Sunday. We encourage all the families to get to temple on time so that they can be present for the beginning of the service. Even if you have no children in the school, we invited you to stop by the synagogue on Sunday morning to find out what is going on at the temple. We also urge our members to recruit for our school. New families can place their kids in the first year in religious school without being members. Help us increase our numbers. Shelley Rissien Religious School Director We Gratefully Acknowledge the Following Contributions to The New Reform Temple To the Marion & Henry Bloch Religious School Henry Bloch For Sponsoring the Bagel Breakfast in Honor of Caty s 4 ½ Birthday Louis & Christina Breinin To the Social Justice Food Drive In Memory of Richard Levin Eric Uhlfelder To the Levin Library In Honor of Amy & Chip Fleischer s Anniversary In Honor of Emily & Neil Rosenbaum s Anniversary In Honor of Pam Fleischer & Ken Weiner s Anniversary Ernest & Barbara Fleischer To the Rabbi s Discretionary Fund In Honor of Harriet Foster s Baby Naming Michael & Melissa Foster To the Shabbat Flowers Betty Barnett & Glenn Haynes Steve & Suzy Block Jeff & Stevi Brick Pati Chasnoff Barton & Phyllis Cohen Robert & Lynne Cohen Gregg & Sirenna Davidson Richard & Maureen Durwood Bernie Fromm Jim & Joyce Hess Roger Hurwitz Tom & Ann Isenberg Henry & Betty Jo Marder John & Geri Neuberger David & Sara Roesler John & Arlene Rubenstein Pat Sanditz Elaine Sight Eugene Strauss To the Temple David Potts In Memory of Alvin H. Berlau Charles Berlau In Honor of Tom Isenberg s Bar Mitzvah Deedee King In Honor of Ted Prince s Birthday Kenneth & Ann Baum

7 YAHRZEITS The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing. January 6 Samuel Abrams Samuel Adler Eileen Feinberg Burdman Bonny Ruth Cohen Adella Fine Julius Freilich Rabbi Ronald M. Goldstein R. Crosby Kemper, Jr. Jessie M. Levy Maj. Gen. William B. Maxson Janice Meinrath Philip Pell Louis Sosland Rose Marie Wilson January 13 Etta L. Brown Maurice L. Brown Phillip H. Halperin, M.D. S. Harvey Laner Richard M. Levin Stuart Levine Sylvia K. Lewis Maurice Miller Violet Oppenheimer Robert Osten Esther Rubin Lena Segal Gertrude Sight Robert Stanley Sight, Sr. Lois Weiner Meta Baum Westheimer Norman F. Westheimer June Wolf January 20 Allen J. Block Shirley Cohen Alfred Lighton Rae Nachman Loeb Anita Navran Bessie Saffran Sarah Taxman January 27 Dorothy L. Bordeau Mildred Epsten Harry Gershenson David Goldenbaum Esther Goodman Frances Gunter Ludwig Isenberg Lena Kamen Ann B. Kander Helen R. Kanter Luzia Lewandowski Beth Lyon Stanley H. Mindlin Charles Monasee Ruth Sidley Jay G. Wolfe

May 2018 Vol. 52, No. 8

May 2018 Vol. 52, No. 8 Shavuot is the Jewish Festival for the celebration of Matan Torah, the giving of Torah by revelation at Sinai. We are responsible for Kabbalat Torah, receiving Torah and putting