January, 2019 Congregation House of Israel 24 Tevet - 25 Shevat, 5779 Westley Huttner Kleinman Bar Mitzvah December 22, 2018 See more photos on page 3
Thank You We would like to thank the following donors (as of December 20, 2018) General Fund In LovingMemory of Louis Kleinman Ben Botnick David and Susan Bunn Dickey Dooley and Martha Dale Harold, Dawn and Melody Duke Patty and Larry Fallek Clay and Kathy Farrar Dr Larry and Stephanie Fite Betty Forshberg Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce John and Holly Haggard Bess Hoffman Scott and Risa Huber Stephen and Jane Lerner Don and Rose Pullen Pablo and Eleanor Siegel Larry and Peggy Stanley Kermit and MaryAnn Tucker Mary Watermann In Loving Memory of LeRoy Tucker, Father of Patti Fleischner Yossi and Kim Baron Shelly and Carol Kleinman Betty Kleinman Ross and Ruth Sedler Sharon and Mike Waxler Stuart and Kay Fleischner In honor of the birth of Blakely Marjorie Waxler, grand-daughter of Mike and Sharon Waxler Yossi and Kim Baron In honor of Tikkun Olam Award being presented to Millie Baron Shelly and Carol Kleinman In honor of the birth of Birdie Burge, granddaughter of Yossi and Kim Baron In honor of the naming of Blakely Marjorie Waxler, Granddaughter of Sharon and Mike Waxler In loving memory of Alyce Brand, Sister of Carol Kleinman Brbara Morgan In honor of the Bar Mitzvah of Westley Kleinman Published monthly by: Congregation House of Israel PO Box 20802 300 Quapaw Hot Springs, AR 71903 (501) 623-5821 Website: http://hschi.org Editor: Shelly Kleinman Webmaster: Shelly Kleinman Editorial Assistance: Anita Williams Email to: info@hschi.org Submissions due the 15th of the prior month. Distributed free to members, prospective members, local clergy and other interested parties. Betty Kleinman In loving memory of Jean Gershner In honor of Millie Baron receiving the Tikkun Olam Award Fred Korngut In loving memory of his Aunt, Katie Fielschmidt Steven and Clarissa Kirsch In loving memory of Lynn Kirsch Sharon and Mike Waxler In loving memory of Bernice Waxler Sisterhood Fund Diane Goltz In loving memory of Louis Kleinman Page 2
Reb Shelly s Desk I recently read the following commentary by David Reisman (Turrets of Silver Hebrew Theological College): And behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2) One explanation of the vision of the burning bush is that the burning bramble was a symbol of those who suffer wrongly, whereas the fire represented those who did wrong. The bramble which was not destroyed, symbolized that Israel would not be destroyed by the Egyptians. Mazel Tov...... to Ira, Stephanie and Betty Kleinman on the Bar Mitzvah of Westley Huttner Kleinman. On Saturday, December 22, at 5:00 p.m., Westley celebrated his Bar Mitzvah, which was officiated by Rabbi Richard Chapin. The occasion was glorious, attended by over 100 friends and relatives from across the country and Europe. Following the service, all attendees were invited to a reception being held at the Mid-America Museum. West delivering his D var Torah The bramble, though a weak plant, is prickly, and wounds those who touch it. The fire, though, destructive by nature, not only failed to destroy the bramble, but guarded it and made it brighter. Though the Egyptians wished to destroy the Jews, they unwillingly protected them. Interesting interpretation. The unjustifiable oppression by the Egyptians (represented by the fire) against the Israelites (the bush), ultimately led to the oppressors being consumed and obliterated. Anyone familiar with the epic story of the Exodus from Egypt knows that the more that the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites, the more they themselves suffered. Despite Moses pleas to let his people go, King Pharaoh steadfastly refused, and this resulted in the ten plagues, the deadliest of which was the slaying of all of the firstborn in Egypt. It seems that the more he attempted to persecute and torment the Jews, the more the Egyptians suffered. One would hope that harm will always befall those who infringe upon the freedom and well-being of innocents, but such is not always the case. To this day there are many countries that oppress their people. In a perfect world, those who subjugate and torment others will be punished and lose power (like West Reading from the Torah surrounded by his family and Rabbi Chapin West receiving comments from his parents, Ira and Stephanie Kleinman Continued on page 7 Page 3
Grandaughters Blakely Marjorie Waxler Grandaughter of Sharon and Mike Waxler Born Aug 24, 2018 Birdie Burge Grandaughter of Yossi and Kim Baron Born Nov 8, 2018 Photos: Top - Blakely Center - Baby naming with Tori, Rabbi Shelly and Brian Bottom - Tori, Brian, Blakely and friend Photos: Top - Birdie Center - Cristen (above),yossi and Birdie Bottom - Kim and Birdie Page 4
ARZA - World Union The Crossover By Rabbi Josh Weinberg Shalom, As Yaakov/Yisrael was nearing the end of his life, his son Yoseph brought his two Egyptian born boys, Efraim and Menashe to their grandfather for a blessing. The content of the blessing which is often used as a lullaby in many circles wishes for them to be out of harms way, and of course the foreshadowing of them to be forbearers of multitudes. More than the actual words of the blessing, the radical and dramatic shift comes with the laying of hands. In what NFL fans might refer to as calling an audible Yisrael crosses his hands one over the other and offers the right-handed blessing to the second born Efraim. The blessing of these two, whose names are invoked by parents to their boys as part of the parents blessing during Friday night kiddush is chocked full of meaning and interpretation. Some point out that this was the great equalizer, while others say that he saw himself - the second born who through trickery received the birthright in Efraim and was overtly paying the blessing forward. Unlike his own brother, we have no sense of competition or adversity. The two brothers live harmoniously and as equals. How many of us live our lives with arms crossed? One hand here, the other there, affirming our equal commitments to two [or more] sets of values and affinities. In our relationship with Israel many of us crossover with great frequency. Many of us approach Israel with our arms crossed over. So many struggle with what it means to be progressive and Zionist. Our Torah clearly teaches us to stand up for the powerless, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger and to fight for freedom, equality, and egalitarianism. Many stand up for the rights of immigrants and asylum seekers, seek to curb the epidemic of gun violence, champion environmental legislation, and identify as Zionists. For some, these values are incompatible with Zionism and call into question those supporters who are accused of living in the great crossover of intersecting values. I was once accused of being Progressive Except for Palestine, commonly known as P.E.P. This smear term is lobbed as a morose diagnosis by its accuser as those who suffer from a condition for whom victims are liberal on every issue except the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Just as Yisrael knew what he was doing as one arm crossed over the other, may we have the courage to affirm our commitment as Zionists who champion the values of freedom and equality, and see Zionism as a movement for human and civil rights. The unnatural move to cross the right arm over the left allows us to care deeply about the Jewish State s security and safety, yet to also stand up for the rights of Palestinians to self-determination and the actualization of their national identity. Crossing our left and right isn t easy, but like Rashi said it must be done intentionally and with great wisdom. Shalom Josh Rabbi Josh Weinberg is the President of ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America. He was ordained from the HUC-JIR Israeli Rabbinic Program in Jerusalem, and currently lives in New York. Page 5
Jewish Trivia January January 1, 1882 January 15, 1965 January 20, 1943 January 25, 1949 January 27, 1945 January 28, 1916 Ellis Island opens as an immigration center PLO founded At the Wannsee Conference, the Nazis decide upon the final Solution David Ben Gurion elected first prime minister of Israel Auschwitz Birkenau liberated by the Russian army Louis Brandeis is the first Jew to be appointed to the Supreme Court Deceased January 2, 2006 January 3, 1974 January 8, 1975 January 9, 2011 January 10, 2000 January 11, 2014 January 13, 1980 Januar 13, 1966 January 19, 1990 January 25, 1990 January 26, 1973 January 28, 1996 Jan Murray, actor Samuel Goldwyn, movie producer Richard Tucker, Opera singer Debbie Friedman, singer and composer Hedy Lamarr, actress Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel Andre Kostelanetz, conductor Sophie Tucker, entertainer Arthur Goldberg, Supreme Court Justice Ava Gardner, actress Edward G. Robinson, actor Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman Page 6
Bill For Services Rabbi Shapiro was attending a cocktail party and people kept coming up to him to ask questions. Excuse me Rabbi what time are services Friday night? Excuse me, Rabbi, but do Jews believe in an afterlife? Rabbi, what s the Hebrew name for Morgan? Frustrated that even here he didn t have a minute s rest, the rabbi turned to Dr. Levine and said: You know, people are always asking me professional questions. What do you do when people come up to you at a cocktail party and ask medical questions? It s easy, said the doctor, I answer their question and the next day I send them a bill. Nice, said the rabbi, I ll have to remember that! The following day Rabbi Shapiro received a bill from the doctor! Save the Date Annual Congregation Meeting Birthdays & Anniversaries January Anniversaries Hal and Sue Koppel Jan 12 Carli and Chris Baker Jan 23 January Birthdays Carol Levi Jan 5 Ross Sedler Jan 8 Sharon Ball Jan 16 Kay Fleischner Jan 27 Reb Shelly s Desk Continued from page 3 Pharaoh in the Torah). But, unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world. It is my hope that one day soon, those who harm innocents will get their just desserts and, like Pharaoh, pay the ultimate price for their heartlessness and cruelty. In the meanwhile, may the fires of oppression everywhere ignite the flame of freedom for all of the downtrodden in our imperfect world. Our annual CHI Membership meeting will be held on Sunday January 27th at 11:00 a.m. in Burgauer Hall. The meeting is open to all PAID members of the congregation. Each member family will have one vote. This is a great opportunity to thank our outgoing board members and vote on the 2019 board, as well as other matters of congregational business. Please watch your email for the agenda which will be sent out prior to the meeting. Sisterhood will be providing a lox and bagel breakfast with all the trimmings to all members who attend. Please come and join us as we discuss what we accomplished in 2018 and what our goals are in 2019. Page 7
Congregation House of Israel Board of Directors Rabbi Sheldon Shelly Kleinman 501-282-0055 rebshelly@hschi.org Dennis Williams, President 870-230-3529 jwmensch1@gmail.com Oneg Thanks Thank you to the following for sponsoring an Oneg during the month of January: David D. Reagler, Vice President 870-208-4495 david@arkansasrecords.com Glenda Kirsch, Secretary 281-458-2655 ghkirsch@hotmail.com Hal Koppel, Treasurer 501-525-3238 hjkkrew@yahoo.com Jan 4 Jan 11 Jan 18 Jan 25 Betty Forshberg Kay and Stuart Fleischner Kim and Yossi Baron Oded Grenman Karen and David Reagler Millie Baron Goltz/Siegel/Bull families Barbara Morgan 501-767-1459 barbara.morgan@mygait.com Millie Baron, Sisterhood 501-538-6619 millie487@hotmail.com Reminder: If you are scheduled for an upcoming Oneg and need to change dates, please find someone to switch with and then let Carol Kleinman know so the information printed in the bulletin will be correct. Ira Kleinman 501-520-1323 irakleinman@hotmail.com Ruth Sedler 806-789-9362 sedlerlbk@aol.com Sherrill Nicolosi 501-984-1517 sherrilln@suddenlinkmail.com Jerry Rephan 501-321-1551 jrephan@hotsprings.net Jerry Tanenbaum, ARZA-World Union 501-262-9770 jerryhotsprings@usa.net Refuah Shelemah The following people are in our thoughts and prayers: Robert Burns Jerry Tanenbaum Ken Baim Annette Baim Ira Brand Cheryl Cohen Irwin Kleinman Please offer prayers that they all have a full and speedy recovery. Stuart Fleischner, Immediate Past President 501-617-1761 toothshucker@hotmail.com Page 8
January Yahrzeits Kaddish Recited on Jan 4 David Wigderson Father of Sue Koppel Father of Ellen Eubanks Ruth Gerber Mother of Elaine Gartenberg Katie Fielschmidt Aunt of Fred Korngut Sam Karnofsky Great Uncle of David D. Reagler Great Uncle of Rachel Schulman Mona Goltz Grandfather of Susan Siegel Grandfather of Diane Goltz Kaddish Recited on Jan 11 Bernard J. Tanenbaum Sr. Father of Jerry Tanenbaum Martin Fleischner Father of Mark Fleischner Father of Stuart Fleischner Harry Sedler Father of Ross Sedler Joanne Reagler Mother of David D. Reagler Mother of Rachel Schulman Percy Crem Great uncle of David D. Reagler Great uncle of Rachel Schulman Kaddish Recited on Jan 18 Eric B. Wolken Brother of Brad Wolken Dorothy Savel Grandmother of David Cohen Ida Cooper Ruskin Mother of Phyllis Hearn Pauline Brown Aunt of Betty Forshberg David Reagler Father of David D. Reagler Father of Rachel Schulman Lois Ginsburg Mother of Millie Baron Ella Robins Grandmother of Betty Feir Kaddish Recited on Jan 24 Norma Mendel Wife of Lenny Mendel Fanny Fielschmidt Grandmother of Fred Korngut Elsa Greenwald Mother of Jodi Chalmers Beatrice Zibrack Mother of Sharon Ball William Holtzmann Father-in-law of Fred Korngut Paul Forshberg Husband of Betty Forshberg Jason Kandel Cousin of Mary Klompus Page 9
Weekly Parshah B shalach Va-eira Yitro Bo