CONGREGATION P’NAI TIKVAH (Formerly Valley Outreach Synagogue)
Kol Kiruv April 2013
Nissan/Iyyar 5773
Table of Contents
Cover Page 1 Rabbi’s Message 2 Cantor’s Notes 3 President’s Message 4 Women’s Rosh Chodesh 5-6 Jewlicious Learning 6-7 Mitzvah Envelopes 8 Mi Shebeirach 8 Updates & Fundraising 9 Birthdays & Anniversary's 10 Kidz Korner 10 Shabbat Joy/Davida… 11 Yahrzeits 12 Survivors by Rabbi Zaslow 12-13 A Letter from Anat Hoffman 14 Beit Shemesh Signs 15 Yom HaShoah Flyer 16 Community Yom Flyer 17 Family Promise Cardboard… 18-19 Carly Matt’s Performance 20 Swanson Music Service 21 Doheny Glatt Kosher Meat 21 JNF Flyer 22 Calendar at a Glance 23 Clergy and Staff Rabbi: Yocheved Mintz Cantor: Marla Goldberg Accompanist: Timothy Cooper Newsletter: D’vorah Turrentine, Educator: Rabbi Mintz Bookkeeper: Lynn Pisetzner Office Administrator: ‘D’vorah Turrentine pnaitikvahlv@aol.com www.pnaitikvahlv.com CPT on the Web: www.facebook.com/ pnaitikvahlv www.twitter.com/ pnaitikvahlv
Vol. 19—No. 10
APRIL IS FILLED WITH POSSIBILITIES Check out the services and community celebrations happening this month: April 5th and 19th—Shabbat joy at Kraft-Sussman Chapel April 6th and 20th—Torah Study at the Rabbi’s house April 7th—Community Yom HaShoah Commemoration at Midbar Kodesh April 14th—Women’s Rosh Chodesh at Nancey Kasse’s house. April 17th—Yom HaAtzmaut at the Venetian Whether it’s with the Congregation or with the greater community, we can nourish our souls with Springtime nectar in this first full month of Spring. Likewise, since the second day of Pesach signals the beginning of the Counting of the Omer, we can consciously pause each day to elevate our spirits day by day as we continue our journey to Shavuot next month. If you would like a word of inspiration for each day, please let the office know and Rabbi Mintz will send out a thought for each day to help you do your own spiritual count up. (436-4900) Congregation P’nai Tikvah will worship on Shabbat, April 5th and 19th, at Kraft-Sussman Chapel, in the Bank of Nevada Business Park at 3975 S. Durango, Suite 104, in Las Vegas. Tot Shabbat will be held on April 5th at 6:30 PM. Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv services will begin at 7:30 PM. Torah Study will take place at 10:00 AM on April 6th and 20th at Rabbi Mintz’s home. A bagels and lox brunch is served. Please RSVP by calling the administrative office at (702) 436-4900 or by emailing gkmintz@aol.com.
www.pnaitikvahlv.org Social Network with CPT: 1
Rabbi’s Message to the Congregation
Chevreh: “ Aviv, Aviv hinei zeh ba!” Spring is here and along with the blooming of the flowers and trees, humanity gets a sense of hope and renewal. Some animals hibernate in the winter and awake, refreshed, renewed in the spring. While we do not physically hibernate, we humans tend to retreat a bit, hunker down in our individual “soul caves” and slow down over the winter. Some even become disturbed by the world around us, some become complacent, and some even become depressed; but, with the warming sunny days of spring, let us consciously look within and do some soul-nurturing, and work to emerge from our soul caves. We are told by our sages that what we do in this world below is reflected by the world above, and vice-versa. Holy intention (we call it Kavannah), not just in prayers, but in our everyday interactions, brings down the Shefa / abundance from above. And we all, every one of us, has the capacity to summon this Shefa. Rabbi Aaron of Karlin said: “There is a divine light in every soul. It is dormant and eclipsed by the follies of this world. We must first awaken this light, then the upper light will come upon us.” The holiday of Passover last month, and the “Yamim” (Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom HaAtzmaut) tend to bring up memories, make us look backward. But they are actually all intended to encourage us to look forward. Learning from what we have experienced we are supposed to plan for a better future. We end the Seder with L’Shanah HaBaah BiYerushalayim/ Next Year in Jerusalem. Likewise we use what we learned from our experiences in the Shoah to heighten our awareness of deprivation of human
rights for people everywhere and, hopefully, energizes us to do more to repair the world. The memories of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to establish the State of Israel immediately catapults us into celebration of the fact that it has been established, and, hopefully, alerts us to its existential challenges. Did you know that there is no Hebrew word for “history”? We use a borrow word, “Historia.” But, more commonly, we use iterations of the root z-k-r, remember (zikaron, z’chor, zeicher), and we share this communal memory in order to learn and grow. So it is with our souls. The adventure of life is the nurturing and growth of our souls. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What we are born with is G-d’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to G-d.” Our individual potential is infinite. Just as we are awakening ourselves to our personal potential, Congregation P’nai Tikvah has begun the process of awakening this holy community to its potential. With the recent Shabbat Retreat attended by a group of members interested in the future of this holy community and facilitated by Rabbi Dr Henry Shreibman, we have embarked on the process of strategically planning for the promising future of CPT. We need input from every member, imagination, interest, and invested intention, as well. We each aspire to be first a blessing to ourselves, but the purpose of being a blessing to oneself is so that we can become a blessing to others. May we become a community of blessings. Happy Springtime! Let’s get growing!! L’Shalom,
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Cantor’s Notes: Many of you know that I have been attending a program called Davening Leadership Training Institute 7 (DTLI-7). It is a program that brings Rabbis, Cantors and lay leaders together to learn more about leading meaningful worship, for themselves and their congregants. Rabbi Mintz took part in this course and encouraged me to take it as well. You might wonder, what does ‘leading meaningful worship’ mean, and how do you learn that? First, there are a lot of ways to find meaning in worship. And we learn by doing, and participating together in worship and have workshops in nusach, the music of our prayers. The nusach portion is lead by Chazzan Jack Kessler. We have been working on the mode, or style, of nusach known as ‘Freigish’ which I wrote about a few months ago. Each holiday has its own mode, and even the time of day has its own mode. It has been very enjoyable for me to review these musical styles I learned in Cantorial school. For the worship part, members of our group get a chance to lead either the morning, afternoon, or evening service. We are then critiqued by Rabbis Shawn Zevit and Marcia Prager on how we can improve our connection to the prayers and the congregation, or how we really did connect well. We can connect using body, song (with or without words) and spoken word, and it doesn’t have to be in Hebrew. Using English is just a spiritual as praying in Hebrew. Also leading into the prayer, with an explanation of the prayer can be done. The idea is that the explanations should not take away from the flow of the service, but can be an important part of worship. If you don’t know what you are praying about, how can you really pray? One session really showed that. It was fascinating to watch Reb Marcia show one of my classmates how to make her explanation of the prayer flow better. At the service, the leader did a nice job explaining the prayer by introducing it with what the words meant, and she sang it in English before we started chanting the prayer together. At the review, Reb Marcia had her redo the prayer, having her give the translation within the prayer (while still singing it) instead of giving the explanation of it to the congregation before they joined in chanting the prayer together as it was done during the service. The effect was monumentally different. We still got the explanation and knowledge of what the prayer meant, but it flowed so differently that we felt the explanation was now a part of the prayer, instead of an explanation that was separate from the prayer. We got the meaning, but it was now not just intellectual, but spiritual. This is just one small part of what I am getting out of attending DLTI-7. The other wonderful thing is the connections I have made with people from all over the country who are learning along with me. I have two more weeks to go, one this summer and one next winter. I look forward to joining my friends and colleagues in continuing an motivating program, helping me to be a better davener, and a better divining leader. L’Shalom, Cantor Marla Goldberg
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Message from the President:
Thank you to those who participated in the wonderful weekend with Rabbi Dr. Henry Shreibman of the Jewish Reconstructionist Movement. I’m impressed by the optimism of the group and know that their efforts will serve the congregation well. In addition, thank you to Jennifer Cohen and Annie Goodrich for the beautiful 2nd Seder that was both meaningful and uplifting for all who attended. We are grateful to Rabbi Mintz for her leadership that evening and always and to Cantor Goldberg for always uplifting us. With spring upon us, we look forward to an exciting year and calendar of activities. We are actively involved in planning for both the High Holidays and the New Year. Please continue to share your time, talent and treasure with this CPT community. Today we are building and solidifying our tomorrows and guaranteeing a bright future for our congregation. Call me at 286-0739 to get more involved or share your thoughts and ideas. Thanks for all you do. B’Shalom, Sam Lieberman President
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Women’s Rosh Chodesh for the month of Iyyar April 14, 2013 – 7:00 pm Home of Nancey Kasse Dreams are said to be a place where the soul can rise and attend to work on other planes, while the body rejuvenates and rests for the work on this plane. Did you know there were prayers to be said when waking from a bad dream? Join us as we explore what Judaism has to say about dreams. RSVP by April 10th to Nancey Kasse at naftala2006@hotmail.com
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Women’s Rosh Chodesh Group
Jewlicious Learners
Iyyar: Sunday, April 14th: 7:00 – Dream Circle – Nancey Kasse’s home (see page 5)
Having learned the Four Questions, lots of
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songs, the symbols of Passover (see page
Sivan: Sunday, May 16 : 7:00 – Gather ‘Round the Pool – 7), and the story, our Jewlicious Learners Rabbi’s House were ready to celebrate with family and
————————————————————- friends, and now we begin our counting of ANNUAL CPT WOMEN’S RETREAT Thursday July 25th—28th Come and join us at Deer Valley Utah in Rabbi’s condo: A wonderful opportunity to refresh and renew, to re-soul and re-Jew. We’ll enjoy the galleries of Park City and the beauty of summer in the Uinta Mountains. We will eat, pray and play. Contact the office at 436-4900 so we can take advantage of Southwest web airfare of $99 each way plus $100.00 to cover costs of the retreat. We would like to fly on SW flt#1964 departing LAS at 8:35am and arriving SLC at 10:50am —Returning on SW Flight #3406 departing SLC at 1:25pm arriving LAS 1:45pm. Please feel free to check other airlines to compare prices.
the Omer and count-up towards Shavuot and the end of our sessions for this year. Our beginners are polishing their decoding and beginning printing of the Aleph -Bet with a fun new text and our more advanced group is reviewing word attack skills, understanding the relationship between the “shoresh”/root of the word and its meaning, and becoming more familiar with vocabulary and prayers. It is hoped that they will complete their text in the next six weeks and be ready to begin studies preparing them to join our leyners when they become B’not Mitzvah.
Mitzvah Envelopes: Mitzvah envelopes are given out at services with the hope that they will be filled out and returned with a donation for the congregation. Honoring or remembering loved ones, giving tzedakah for a MiShebeirach, simply being thankful for meaningful services, and any other reason you can think of helps the congregation’s sustainability and funds future
Revised snack schedule for parents: April 1 –DeLee Family; April 8—JaegerLockett Family; April 15– Holland Family; April 22-Linker Family; April 29-DeLee Family; May 6-Holland Family; May 13Jaeger-Lockett Family; May 20-Rabbi will host the annual end-of-the-year splash party! Happy Spring!
For details regarding current CPT fundraisers or suggestions for future fundraising opportunities, please contact Dale Gardner cabinutsky@aol.com 6
Jewlicious Learners making charoset
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MITZVAH ENVELOPES Roz Tessler -In memory of Louis Tessler Harriet Bernstein -In memory of Louis Tessler -Get well wishes to Rachel Bernstein Phyllis & Stan Zuckerman -In memory of Henrietta Block Zuckerman Rabbi Yocheved Mintz -In memory of Aileen Cherner -In memory of Fran Boyett -In memory of Rabbi Dr. David Hartman Carol & Larry Bernstein -In memory of Albert Bernstein -In honor of Paige Miller's Bat Mitzvah -In honor of Jeremy Roth's 5th birthday Kraft Sussman Funeral Services -In memory of Aileen Cherner Dotti Elgart -In memory of Frances Silverman Nancy Goldberg Susan & Rick Bindhamer In memory of Ken Elgart Eileen & Cort Ancman Carol & Larry Bernstein Harriet Bernstein Susan & Rick Bindhamer Ann Brandt Jennifer & Jerald Cohen Dale Gardner Nancy Goldberg Annie Goodrich Gloria Granat Nancey Kasse Lesley & Marvin Korach Kraft Sussman Funeral Services Sam Lieberman Scott Linker Ann Mandell Rabbi Yocheved Mintz
In memory of Ken Elgart Lynn & David Pisetzner Sandy & Neil Rich Marlene Silverman Roz Tessler Doris & Palmie Turrentine Phyllis & Stan Zuckerman
Mi Shebeirach/”Get Well” Wishes to… Marie Ackerman Marjorie Lieberman Annie Goodrich Linda Kauffman Davida Lewin Schermer D’vorah Turrentine Barbara Grossman Edith Rome Gary Paykell Elliot Bender Paul Bodner Marie Lodeski Rocky Fazio Guy Fazio Olivia Bender Gittel bat Libba Heika Libba Heika bat Sima
TORAH FUND PLANTING TREES IN ISRAEL PRAYER BOOK DEDICATIONS OR PURCHASE For $40.00 a prayer book can either be purchased for personal use or be dedicated to the congregation “In Memory” or “In Honor of” and a card from CPT will be sent to the family. The prayer book plate will be placed on the inside cover of our new Kol HaNeshamah siddur. 8
UPDATES and
Fundraising Opportunities
On’gai Shabbat— Time to Sign up! We still have a few openings left for those of you who want to celebrate a simcha or commemorate the memory of a loved one by sponsoring an Oneg Shabbat. And for you foodies who want to get your Bobby Flay or Gordon Ramsey on, there’s still time! Check the schedule below; an opening is your opportunity:
April 5
April 19
May 3
May 17
Phyllistans—Sponsors Phyllistans—Caterers
June 7
June 21
Sponsor needed Caterer needed Sponsor needed Caterer needed
Lesley & Marvin Korach Lesley & Marvin Korach Sponsor needed Caterer needed Roz Tessler & Harriet Bernstein Marlene Silverman
TORAH STUDY THIS MONTH: Rabbi Mintz will lead Torah Study for Parashat Shemini, April 6th, and Parashat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim April 20th, at the Rabbi’s home at 10:00 AM. We will be studying Pirkei Avot during the weeks leading up to Shavuot. If you wish to get a thought for the day, during the counting of the Omer, let the office know. And do RSVP for Torah Study at gkmintz@aol.com or call —the office at 436-4900.
Call the office at (702) 436-4900 or email Doris Turrentine at cptdoris@aol.com for more information or to book your date now!
Homes are always needed for the various activities and meetings of our congregation. Offer a Personal prayer – If you’d like to write your own, please do so. If you would like to see it published in the newsletter, e- mail it to cptdoris@aol.com
Box Tops For Education are an Easy Way to Support P’nai Tikvah’s Jewlicious Learning Program! Box Tops for Education is a very simple way for you to contribute to CPT’s Jewlicious Learning program every time you shop! Clip box tops from hundreds of products. Each box top is worth 10 cents for the program, and some products are offering double and triple box tops! Bring them to services with you and place them in the “Box Tops for Education” box. For a complete list of products bearing the Box Tops for Education symbol, go to: http:// www.boxtops4education.com . All Box Tops should be brought to Shabbat Services or sent to Dale Gardner cabinutsky@aol.com
BE A BIRD DOG?? If you refer someone to a car dealership, on behalf of CPT, we can receive a referral fee. This is a wonderful and easy way to do a mitzvah for CPT . More information contact Doris 869-2700.
Note URL for Congregation P’nai Tikvah , As well as Facebook and Twitter Addresses Make our web address, www.pnaitikvahlv.org , a favorite! Social networking with our shul is easier than ever! “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pnaitikvahlv and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnaitikvahlv . Thanks to Cindy Fox, Jon Axelrod, and Danielle Holland—CPT’s social network mavens—for keeping us current!! Anyone else wish to volunteer? Just call 436-4900 to be our new maven!
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Happy April Birthday!! HAPPY APRIL BIRTHDAYS Kristen Jaeger Roz Tessler Sam Lieberman Fern Kosh Sabrina Linker
April 10 April 13 April 16 April 23 April 28
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Kristen Jaeger & Tim Lockett April 2 Lesley & Marvin Korach April 3 Dale & Vince Gardner April 24
KIDZ KORNER for April Nissan/Iyyar
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Shabbat Joy!
Tim Cooper our pianists
Davida had been hospitalized in February but now is doing well. “I don't cook, clean, go shop-
ping or anything! YEAH� this is one of her famous sayings.
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YAHRZEITS FOR APRIL
Irwin Berger -Remembered by Laura Sussman & Wendy Kraft David Bernstein -Remembered by Harriet Bernstein Sheldon Elliott -Remembered by Rachel Piekarsky Edward Fox -Remembered by Marc Fox Pearl Dratler Hewel -Remembered by Jackie Ackerman & Family Abraham Platt -Remembered by Zandra Bender Lee Burger Shilepsky -Remembered by Ann Brandt Helene Sussman -Remembered by Laura Sussman Memorial plaques are available for your consideration, To honor the departed, To inspire the living. To be remembered in the hearts of those we leave behind is, In a sense, to live forever. For further information, call the Synagogue office at 702-436-4900 Mitzvah donations also appreciated
Survivors by Rabbi David Zaslow In 1958 I was about to meet Max and Mutte, and their daughter, Ruth, who was going to be my sister-in-law in a few months. My mother told me, "when you see numbers on their arms, don't look. Don't ask. Don't say a word." I was twelve, but I understood. There was something sacred here. A sacred object that I dare not look upon. Enter with humility. Like Moses, go barefoot and avert your eyes. But Mutte knew that it was time for her to talk. It was 13 years after that Event. She put me at ease as no one I had ever met. They were released, stateless, and lived in camps for the stateless another five years. Five more years until in 1950 they are able to come to America. Five more years.
Mutte, everyone calls her Mutte, "mother." Even my mother calls her Mutte. Raised Christian, married Max and converted to Judaism. They kept her in a special camp because her eyes were blue. Today her deep blue eyes draw from the well of Miriam and from the flames of that unspeakable place, like no one else I have ever met. (Continued on page 12)
Remembering Friends and Family: If you know of someone who can use a little cheer in their life because of illness or a death in their family-or a simcha mazel tov celebration; the "Sunshine Lady� Phyllis Zuckerman would like to send a card. Please contact her at:(702) 617-0585 or phyllistan@cox.net
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Today, in remembering, Mutte speaks easily. Max, G-d rest his soul, never uttered the Amidah without remembering, but not so easily – wailing loudly from the other room through the eighteen...no, nineteen. Mutte speaks easily though. She knows the inner meaning of memory. It is not something from the past, it is her air. The air of a German blue sky and the smoke rising filled with ashes. She permits us to to breathe this air today, so that we might remember, and know it when we see it in Rochester, or Brooklyn, or Ashland. To know it when we see it and not deny it, or run from it. To know it when we see it, and to never permit it to be forgotten. To know it when we see it, and never let it lose its sacred meaning. To know it when we see it, and never let it happen again. Never again. Never again. With God's help, through our eyes; with God's help through our voices, never the silence again. The question, Mutte asks, is not “where was G-d?” The question, Mutte asks, is “where were we all? Where were our eyes? Where were our voices.” Never again? The answer Mutte says, “...is not G-d willing.” The answer Mutte says, “..are we willing?” For God to be willing, the Holy One must have our eyes and lips! 13
Beit Shemesh Signs A Letter from Anat Hoffman: Have you ever been in a restaurant and seen a sign reading “No shirt, No shoes, No service”? If you feel that this dress code is strict, imagine living in Beit Shemesh, where women are intimidated while walking on public streets if their clothes do not conform to a strict interpretation of modesty. A group of Orthodox women from Beit Shemesh found this situation intolerable and they came to IRAC for legal help. Representing several of these women, last week we filed a lawsuit against the city of Beit Shemesh, claiming that city authorities have allowed a small but extreme sect of ultra-Orthodox Jews to act as a “modesty police” against the city’s residents. The suit centers on street signs that were put up in public places telling women they can only enter wearing “proper dress” and a description of the kind of dress that is considered proper. City officials, including the ultra-Orthodox mayor of Beit Shemesh, have so far refused to intervene and act against the radical group behind these signs, thereby giving the signs tacit approval. It is important to understand that the four women we are representing, and the many other women who have come to us about this issue, are not radical non-conformists. They are modest Orthodox women in every sense. The stories they told us about being afraid to walk down the street for fear of men hurling insults or worse at them was heartbreaking. It is hard to fully express the level of intimidation these women are feeling. We are suing the city for not taking steps to remove these offensive signs and we are seeking significant damages (25,000 shekels) for emotional distress on behalf of each of the women named in the case. It is our hope that the sting of Israel’s justice system will remind the officials in Beit Shemesh of their responsibilities to protect all residents. The views of this extreme group represent neither the majority of Israelis, nor the majority of Orthodox Jews, but they hold a disproportionate amount of power because hardly anybody else besides these brave women and IRAC are pushing back or providing help against this kind of religious coercion. . This case accentuates how important it is for Israel to have a government that represents all its citizens. Prime Minster Netanyahu has asked for a two-week extension in forming a government. We need to keep the pressure on him to fill his cabinet with moderates. Click here to email the Prime Minister and send him that message. L’shalom, Anat Hoffman Executive Director, IRAC
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These are a few of the signs that IRAC is trying to have removed in Beit Shemesh
This one is outside the main shopping mall that is used by both secular and religious Israelis.
It reads: "Kryiat Mishkanot Yaakov, Beit Shemesh Welcome to the Haredi Shopping Center Customers are required to respect the feelings of the residents that are faithful to God and his Torah. And to wear modest dress. This includes: Closed blouses with long sleeves, long skirts, no pants, no tight or revealing dress."
This one is on one of the main thoroughfares
It reads: "Women passing through this neighborhood are required to dress modestly. Including: Closed blouses with long sleeves, long skirts, no pants, and no tight or revealing dress"
This sign is outside a synagogue on the main street.
It reads: "Women are requested not to loiter in front of the synagogue." 15
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Continued on page 19
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Yom HaShoah
Yom HaAtzmaut
Women’s Rosh Chodesh
CALENDAR AT A GLANCE: April 1 April 5 April 6 April 7 April 8 April 11 April 13 April 14 April 17 April 19 April 20
Jewlicious Learning 4:15 pm & Simchat Chochmah 7:00 pm Tot Shabbat 6:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv Services 7:30 pm at KraftSussman Chapel Torah Study 10:00 am., at the Rabbi’s home Yom HaShoah at Midbar Kodesh 7:00pm –9:00pm Jewlicious Learning 4:15 pm & Simchat Chochmah 7:00 pm CPT Board Meeting 5:00pm—7:30pm Production Meeting MBFJW II at Rabbi Mintz’s home Torah Study 10:00 am., at the Rabbi’s home Women’s Rosh Chodesh, at Nancey Kasse’s home Yom HaAtzmaut 5:oo pm—8:30pm –Lido Ballroom Venetian Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv Services 7:30 at Kraft Sussman Chapel Torah Study 10:00 am., at the Rabbi’s home
Blessing for the Month of Nissan/Iyyar In this month of healing of body, heart, and soul, may we be blessed to direct our energies that optimize our growth and transformation, personally and as a holy community. Amen
Kol Kiruv, the newsletter of Congregation P’nai Tikvah, is available on-line at www.pnaitikvahlv.org at no cost. If mailed, hard copy delivery is $36 annually. Please notify us and remit payment .
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