CONGREGATION P’NAI TIKVAH —
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Message from the Rabbi Dear Chevreh: What’s on your “To-Do” list? Since attending the Parliament of the World’s Religions, in Salt Lake City, October 15-19, my “To-Do” list looks something like this: Achieve world peace Reverse global climate change Solve world poverty issues Solve aggression, hatred, and bigotry in the name of religion Bring about equality between men and women Seek non-violent solutions in opposing world violence Condemn abuses of the Earth’s ecosystems Oy! I should only live long enough!! If it sounds like this Parliament was inspiring, you’re right---it was. In fact, it was also motivating, educational, visionary, stimulating, and somewhat overwhelming! This was only the fifth Parliament ever. The first one was in 1893 in Chicago; the second took place in Chicago, again, but a full century later in 1993. Since then it has met every 4 years or so: in 1999 in Capetown, South Africa; in 2004 in Barcelona, Spain; in 2009 in Melbourne, Australia …and With over 9,500 representatives from over 70 religions (a few of which I must admit I had never heard) and more than 40 countries, this Parliament of the World’s Religions (PWR) was the largest ever. It was held in the sprawling Salt Palace Convention Center, requiring very long walks from meeting room to meeting rooms, plenaries, gathering places, food courts, and vendor areas. It was a feast for the senses. The entire Salt Palace was decorated in miles and miles of prayer flags, artistic renderings from a multitude of religions, and various demonstrations of native art. Near the registration area, the Jainists erected a miniature temple, large enough for one or two people to enter and pray; and Buddhist monks set up an area nearby where they painstakingly created a gorgeous mandala, skillfully placing grains of colored sand hour after hour, day after day, until, on the final day of the Parliament, it was completed---at which time, they then swept it away. Like the Parliament experience itself, the mandala served to remind us of the impermanence of life. It was a powerful metaphor that touched everyone who Buddhist monks witnessed it. In the second floor hallway, a huge banner (perhaps 90 feet in length) invited passers-by to write and illustrate a prayer. There was a “Red Tent” room, beautifully decorated, which served as a sanctuary space for women to meditate or meet, as they wished. The URI (United Religions Initiative) had a hospitality suite that included a free Reiki session. There was an ongoing “Empowr Film Festival,” continued on page 3 2
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filled with Exhibits, including a Master Calligraphy exhibit, Archeology of the Future, 99 Names: A Christian’s Exploration of the 99 Most Beautiful Names of G-d from the Qur’an, A Palestinian-Israeli Peace Quilt (see photo) , The Making of Mahatma, and an extremely powerful “No Fixed Address” exhibit of photographic portraits of individuals and families who live on the streets and in shelters. These exhibits, plus many more, would have been “dayenu” to get across the imperatives of our troubled planet, but there was also an exhibition hall filled with over 900 booths, representing almost every imaginable religion. (I brought home over a dozen new books from Palestinian-Israeli Peace Quilt the Jewish Lights booth, oy!) Just walking through the halls, one was treated to a “fashion show” of faiths---from the feathers and facepaint of indigenous people to flowing gowns and elaborate turbans and headdresses of Eastern-based religions. A feast for the eyes. And there was a feast for the palate, as well. In addition to a food court where one could purchase Mexican, Hallal, Kosher, Vegan, and assorted other foods from around the world , the Sikhs graciously provided and served “Langar” every day. Langar means open kitchen, and every day, this cooperative venture between national and international Sikh communities, served thousands of people a filling, spicy vegetarian meal. (What an experience of equality and generosity.) Who says there’s no such thing as a free meal?! And, if that was not sufficient, we had a choice of over three dozen different workshops to attend every one-and- a-half hours. It was, needless to say, really challenging to decide where to go….and it was physically challenging to go from morning to night every day. The first day was designated as the first ever Woman’s Assembly. Among the plenary speakers were Katie Jo Welch (Katie Jo Drum Goddess), Indigenous Grandmothers, Mother Maya Tiwari (Ayrveda pioneer), Dr. Vendana Shiva (Hindu author and environmental justice activist), Ruth W. Messinger (head of American Jewish World Service), Ilyasah Shabazz (Malcom X’s daughter), Dr. Rangamarie Turuki Arkirangi Rose Pere (Maori chieftain), Bishop Barbara King (head of New Thought), Mallika Chopra (Deepak Chopra’s daughter), Marianne Williamson, Jane Goodall, and more. It was worth the trip just to be at that Indigenous Grandmother first plenary!
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But each day was filled with hour after hour of stimulating thought and provocative q and a. Just meeting people in the halls, sitting down with strangers from foreign lands at meal times, and catching up, unexpectedly, with old friends from around the world would have been enough. Serendipitously, Anat Hoffman called me from Israel on the first day, and she was able to get me connected with Lesley Sachs, the head of the Women of the Wall. (Perhaps more Divine providence than serendipity, I’m now thinking.) Lesley was at the Parliament, and she now will work with me to make arrangements for our Las Vegas Community Trip to Israel’s visit to the Wall, on July 7th! Perhaps the most meaningful workshops I attended were those held by a group called the Abrahamic Reunion (AR), a panel of 12 men and women, Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Lesley Sachs, the head of the Druze who had come from Israel and the PalesWomen of the Wall. tinian territory to the Parliament to show how we can work together towards peace, using religion as a force for peace, where a secular peace process has stalled. Perhaps the largest interfaith peace organization in the Holy Land, the AR works together to bring hundreds of people of different faiths to pray, walk, and study each other’s scriptures together. Since 2004, AR, the only interfaith peace organization with equal Jewish and Muslim leadership, demonstrates how religion and spirituality teach us to open our hearts, create friendships, and develop understanding, and trust. It was fascinating to hear their individual stories and compelling to get to know a few of them a bit more deeply, as, once again, Divine Providence worked its magic. While I already knew Rodeif Shalom Eliyah McClean (through the Jewish Renewal movement), I had the joy of meeting Sheikh Hussein Abu Rukkun, Haj Ibrahim Abu El Hawa, Imam Kjalil Albaz, his incredibly powerhouse of a woman wife Sanaa Albaz, Elias Jabbour, Deacon Jiries Mansur, Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Nagen, Rabbanit Hadasasah Froman (what a dedicated woman she is!), Reverend Daniel Aqleh, and Sheikh Ghassan Manasra. It was fascinating to see how they worked together, and how they handled things when disagreements surfaced. (Ask me about Rev. Aqleh’s speech pushed some buttons….) During the Parliament, I hosted eight rabbis at my house up in Deer Valley…meaning that every day we had time to chat going down to Salt Lake City and back, 40 minutes each time. Although that meant that few us got to the 7:30 a.m. presentations, it also meant that we had the ability to begin to assimilate what we were getting out of the Parliament, which was very helpful. (It also meant that we cooked together for breakfast every day, and had late-night Boggle continued on page 5 4
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It was a joy to daven together with over a hundred Jews from all over the world, to welcome in Shabbat, Friday night…and to daven privately up in the mountains, Shabbat morning. But, for me, I think the sensory highlight took place Sunday evening, when I participated in the “Sacred Music Night” at the incredible Mormon Tabernacle, a few blocks from the Salt Palace. It was a stunning tapestry of talents and faiths, including Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Indigenous, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and others. The evening began with the call to prayer from Indigenous people of the Americas, a Musleim Muzzein, and a creative chorus of Jewish shofar blowers (including me---what an honor). There was a Northern Ute flute player; whirling Dervishes; Burundi drummers; Ravi Shankar’s grandson, Aashish Khan, and his group; a Sikh sitar ensemble; Episcopalian bagpipe group; Bahai choirs; and Taiwan Taiko Drummers; but the moment that gave me goosebumps was when everyone (over 2500 people filling the Tabernacle, plus hundreds more standing at the open doors)---when everyone was on their feet, clapping and singing with an interfaith youth choir of Jewish, Muslim, and Mormon kids from the SLC , all singing a niggun by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (z”l). Imagine! (I think Shlomo was dancing up in heaven…or maybe even on the Tabernacle roof.) The theme of the Parliament was: “Reclaiming the Heart of Our Humanity; Working Together for a World of Compassion, Peace, Justice, and Sustainability”; and it definitely worked up to that theme. As I took notes, however, I found myself writing in Hebrew, for every issue seemed to come back to tenets of our own Jewish heritage. I counted sixty different ways of saying what we have in our Talmud: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow person. That is the entire law: all the rest is commentary.” (Shabbat 31 a)---to which I say, Amein. I am grateful to Cantor Marla Goldberg for so beautifully conducting services in October, in my absence, and I also wish to thank Nancey Eason and Cindy Fox for delivering such beautiful Divrei Torah this month, and to Nancey Eason and Iris Katz for facilitating such stimulating Torah Studies. I’m back, a new great-grandmother, and a renewed and refreshed rabbi, eager to return to Congregation P’nai Tikvah and see you all. But, g’valt, what a “To-Do” List I’ve got to work on! Perhaps we all can work on it, together. L’Shalom,
Rabbi Yocheved Mintz
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Cantor’s Notes A Note From the Cantor Recently someone asked me to do a lecture on what I had to do to become a cantor. I am not speaking on this until December, but my mind is already going back in time thinking about what it took to get where I am today. My process of becoming a cantor took many years. It really began at my Bat Mitzvah when our Rabbi Emeritus, Rabbi Levine who always told the B’nai Mitzvah kids they should be rabbis, said that I should be a cantor. This idea lingered in the back of my mind for many years. It didn’t really come to fruition until I was in my 30’s. I had sung in my congregation’s choir for many years, taught music at the Sunday school and occasionally substituted for my cantor at Temple B’nai Torah. I had already gotten a teaching certificate, but public schools did not call to me as much as Jewish music and education did. So in the year 2000 I decided to apply to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion-School of Sacred Music (now the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music). The school has a name that is quite a mouthful, so it’s easier to say HUC-JIR-SSM or just HUC. After taking the GRE, writing an essay, getting recommendations, having an interview that also required singing and showing that I could play an instrument, and showed I had a basic knowledge of Hebrew, I got accepted. My acceptance letter came on the afternoon of the first Seder that year. I felt much more emotional at the end of the Seder that ended with the line ‘Next year in Jerusalem’ because at that point, I knew I would be headed for a year in Jerusalem. Studying to be a cantor takes five years. Year one is in Jerusalem, unless you’ve lived there before. The reason for this is to get us to understand Israeli culture. During this year we studied Hebrew, Liturgy, and Torah with rabbinic and education students. continued on page 7
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A Note From the Cantor (cont.) For cantors only were the nusach and trope classes with Cantor Eliahu Schleifer who we nicknamed “Yoda” and “Chazzan Gadol”. He had pretty much been a cantor since he was three years old and has great knowledge of cantorial music and what it takes to be a cantor. The first year trope was for Torah and the Book of Esther. The nusach music was an introduction to the melodies used and the melodies specific for weekday prayers. Wednesdays were for field trips throughout Israel. We visited historic sites and studied outside the walls of the college. As cantorial students we also visited different shuls throughout Jerusalem on Shabbat to experience several types of services, from reform to orthodox. In addition we were required to lead weekday morning services. We rotated, paired with one or two rabbinic students, throughout the year. My first year actually ended early due to the violence that was becoming extreme throughout that year. The final straw was the bombing of the Moment Café on the Saturday night when the yearly conference of the Union of Reform Judaism was taking place in Jerusalem. Many students were at the hotel where the rabbis were staying instead of going to that café, as usually happened on Saturday night. The next morning we were told that formal classes were ending that week, and we could finish our studies from home. There was about a month and a half left of classes, but many of us left with heavy hearts. Ironically, for me, it was right before Passover, so I never did get to spend my “Next Year in Jerusalem” for Pesach, but I did get to spend a fascinating year studying and living there. My father kept all the e-mails I sent from Jerusalem and put it in a scrapbook. I still have that book, and I added pictures I took from that year. If you want to see it, I am happy to share. So that is a brief summary of my first year as a student cantor.
L’shalom, Cantor Marla Goldberg
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President’s Message We all have met them; the people who talk the talk but not walk the walk. At our services, on our website, in our printed marketing materials for Congregation P’nai Tikvah, we speak of our relationships with each other, caring, warm and friendly… an extended religious and spiritual family. Well, we are! CPT members do walk the walk! On September 2, 2015, I found my husband, Andy Holland, on the floor in our rumpus room in critical condition. Andy was rushed to the hospital by ambulance and remained at Spring Valley Hospital until September 17th. This was a crisis on so many levels, Andy in critical condition, me, involved in a delicate business transaction closing my 38 year old business and raising Samantha; going back and forth from the house to the office to the hospital. Samantha’s after school activities, just alone, fills up a weekly calendar. Well, the news slowly spread about Andy and the phone calls and emails started coming from members asking me how could they help? Anne and Gary, Stephanie, Nicky volunteering to pick up Samantha from school, take her to Jewlicious Learning, to Bat Mitzvah lessons and to the dance academy. Much thanks to Anne and Gary who so graciously picked up Samantha, got her fed and off to her events. Our Rabbi was there from day one. Every day, taking the time to hear me cry, be angry, be frustrated and go through the normal emotional chain of events when such a crisis occurs. Thank you Rabbi for being there for me and my family! Speaking of thank yous….we have a long list. First, all of our High Holiday participants: Rabbi Yocheved Mintz, Cantor Marla Goldberg,, William Chenowith, Corinne Hymel, Dr. Barbara Atkinson, Marijane Frederickson, John Blemes, Robbie Crisman, Melissa Crisman David Abrams, Susana Abrams, Jackie Ackerman, Paula Aizley, Sari Aizley, David Ari, Marian Baum, Edward Benstock, Mary Benstock, Susan Bindhamer, Maxine Blechman, Ann Brandt, Cole Bush, Dave Clark, Evelyn Clark, Ken Clark, Jennifer Cohen, Carly Dickenson, Susan Dubin, Nancey Eason. Kelly Eason, Gina Eason, Arianna Evora, Debbie Eidelman, Cindy Fox, Evan Savar, Marc Fox, Lynda French, Dale Gardner, Nancy Goldberg, Gloria Granat, Gail Hansen, Hannah Hansen, Sami Holland, Kristen Jaeger, Meera Kamegai, Minao Kamegai, Patsy Kart, Linda Kauffman, Jane Kusel, Sam Lieberman, Sabrina Linker, Scott Linker, Tim Lockett, Laurie Lytel, Ann Mandell, Joyce Nance, Rachel Piekarsky, Marge Present, Sondra Rose, Stanley Rose, Austin Royer, Ellen Royer, Jules Schreider, David Silverman, Faith Silverman, Joseph Davis, Shayna Davis, Wendy Sprattler, Carolyn Stewart, Roz Tessler, Anne Ullman, Gary Ullman Nicky Watts, Wil Wilreker, Pamela Winger, Annie Wolff, Stephanie PaykelLynn Pisetzner, Daivd Yavitz, Sam Marber. continued on page 9
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President’s Message (cont.) From the choir, to our parsha readers, to our organizers, set up and take down volunteers, a great big thank you for making our High Holidays a wonderful experience. Once again, the Rabbi and Cantor gave us words to remember and melodies to play over and over again in our heads! Then, before we knew it, Sukkot was around the corner. Thanks to Meera and Stephanie who came to my rescue as Sukkot was originally planned to be at my home but had to be cancelled due to Andy’s recuperation. A holiday made special for children- you got it- Chanukah! Well, we have a great event planned for all- our first ever BOWL-A-THON at the Red Rock Casino and Hotel bowling lanes. How does it work? Well, you need to volunteer and tell Nancey to place your name on the list. Don’t worry about your bowling ball techniques, those bumpers on the lanes work just as well for adults as they do for children! You will need to register and to pay your registration fee to CPT. Then find family and friends who will donate money on your behalf- whether it be a simple donation or a donation based on the number of pins you knock down! You will need to complete a form which will list your donors, and the amount of money they want to pledge, whether it be $.10 a pin to a $1.00 per pin or more- all will be appreciated in a fun fill night. I am already getting a team available- 6 to a lane- We all will have names from our Chanukah heros and villains! I need two more to be on my team! So let’s make it a special event, enjoyable by all. Have a wonder week and again THANKS. Our shul is strong because of you, our members!
Barbara Holland President of the Board
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“ We Are P’nai Tikvah” Membership committee is asking a couple questions of members in order that other members of P'nai Tikvah can get to know them better. The following are the answers from Nancey Eason, Administrative Assistant to Rabbi Mintz.
Nancey Eason with Rabbi Yocheved Mintz at the AJR-CA Smicha 5774 1.What brought you to Congregation P'nai Tikvah? It was right before Pesach when I first moved to Las Vegas, kind of funny when I think about it now. The Exodus from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. I was looking for a Community Seder in Las Vegas. I met Marlene Silverman at the bakery that used to be next door to the Kosher Experience. She told me about CPT's Community Seder. Before she walked away she said, "I keep having this feeling I need to give you Rabbi Mintz's phone number" So she did. About a week later, I called Rabbi Mintz. I was in need of a Mashpiah Ruchanit, Spiritual Director. She taught me Modah Ani. We have been learning together since. 2. What keeps you involved in P'nai Tikvah? The educational opportunities, the hamishah congregation, Shepsie, seeing everyone chat before services. The Likht Bentshn Shawl, the tossing of the challah at the Shabbat table, the intimacy of the Rosh Chodesh gatherings, the retreats into the mountains, Danica's school reports, Sabrina's and Sami's performance announcements, MayLee, Mason, Meyer and Maple's joyful exuberance of life, Emma and Ethan's delight in Shabbat, David and Daniel's growth, Jonathan and Sofia's quiet and graceful expressions, and the others new and yet to come. 10
Annual Sukkot BBQ
Cantor Marla, Gloria, Annie and Harriet deep in Sukkot BBQ conversation after a delicious meal
Minao and Ken diligently watching the grill.
Kol Isha Concert Afterparty at Pin Kaow Thai Restaurant
Regent, Jane, Ann, Cantor Marla and
Myra, Patsy and Lea
Wil, Debbie and Wil’s mom, Esther
Jackie, Evelyn and Carly
Ann and Rabbi Mintz 11
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The truth about Jerusalem’s grand mufti, Hitler and the Holocaust
Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Husseini meeting with Adolf Hitler in Dec. 1941. Photo by Bild Bundesarchiv Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went too far in recent comments that Nazi collaborator Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem before and during World War II, played a “central role in fomenting the Final Solution” by trying to convince Hitler to destroy the Jews during a 1941 meeting in Berlin. But Netanyahu was right on when he emphasized the Mufti’s Holocaust complicity and activities before, during, and after the war when the Mufti lied about alleged Jewish intentions to expel Muslim and Islam from Jerusalem’s Temple Mount—the same lie that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas repeats today in support of the current “knife Intifada.” Netanyahu said: “Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews. "And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, ‘If you expel them, they'll all come here.' 'So what should I do with them?' he asked. He said, 'Burn them’.” Netanyahu’s quotation of the Grand Mufti is word-for-word accurate, but it is not true that the Fuhrer needed the advice of Islam’s leading anti-Jewish fanatic to implement the Final Solution. That was his dream as far back as 1919 as a letter that he authored and signed now on display at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance documents. continued on page 15 14
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The truth about Jerusalem’s grand mufti, Hitler and the Holocaust (cont.) Prime Minister Netanyahu has been accused of “a dangerous historical distortion” and even “Holocaust Denial” from the predictable political quarters who even dismiss the Grand Mufti as “a lightweight” inconsequential in the history of the Holocaust. This claim wrongly mitigates the Mufti’s mindset and crimes as one of the Hitler era’s leading anti-Jewish haters. Who was Haj Amin al-Husseini and what was his historical significance? A relative of Yasser Arafat as well as ally of Hassan al-Banna, originator of Hamas’ parent organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Grand Mufti was a moving force behind Palestinian Jew hatred, from the riots of 1920 and 1929 through the 1936-1939 bloody Arab Uprising against the Holy Land’s Jewish community, long before his WWII support of Nazi Germany. According to Historian Robert Wistrich’s Hitler and the Holocaust (2001), the Mufti escaped British scrutiny in Jerusalem after the war’s outbreak for the more friendly confines of Berlin, where, in November, 1941, he had tea with Hitler who asked him “to lock in the innermost depths of his heart” that he (Hitler) “would carry on the battle to the total destruction of the Judeo-Communist Empire in Europe.” In 1942, Fred Grobba wrote approvingly of the Mufti’s visit with members of the Nazi elite to “the concentration camp Oranienburg . . . . The visit lasted about two hours with very satisfying results . . . . the Jews aroused particular interest among the Arabs. . . . It [the visit] . . . made a very favorable impression on the Arabs.” In 1943, the Mufti extended his relations with the German Foreign Office and Abwehr directly to the SS Main Office. Gottlob Berger arranged a meeting between al-Husayni and SS chief Heinrich Himmler on July 3, 1943. Al-Husayni sent Himmler birthday greetings on October 6, and expressed the hope that “the coming year would make our cooperation even closer and bring us closer to our common goals.” The Grand Mufti also helped organize a Muslim Waffen SS Battalion, known as the Hanjars, that slaughtered ninety percent of Bosnia’s Jews, and were dispatched to Croatia and Hungary. The Mufti also made broadcasts to the Middle East urging Arabs and Muslims to honor Allah by implementing their own Final Solution. After the War, Great Britain, the U.S., and Yugoslavia indicted the Mufti as a war criminal, but Yugoslavia dropped its extradition request to France, and legal proceedings were abandoned so as not to upset the Arab world. Escaping back to the Middle East, Al-Husseini continued his genocidal exhortations and rejectionist demands that the Jewish presence be erased from Palestine continued unabated before and during the 1948 War by five Arab states against Israel. Only then, did his influence gradually decline. He died in 1974, not long after Arab armies almost succeeded in destroying Israel in an attack launched on Judaism’s holiest day, Yom Kippur. Far from “a light weight,” the Grand Mufti will be remembered as one the twentieth century’s most virulent Jew haters and a key cheerleader for Hitler’s genocidal Final Solution. Rabbi Abraham Cooper is Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Dr. Harold Brackman, a historian is a consultant for the Simon Wiesenthal Center. © Copyright 2015 Simon Wiesenthal Center 1399 South Roxbury, Los Angeles, CA 90035. (310) 553-9036
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KIDZ KORNER for November
Our Jewlicious Learner’s in the kitchen making Challah 17
Reconstructionist News You Can Use World Zionist Congress For the first time, the Reconstructionist movement has sent several representatives to the World Zionist Congress. The congress meets in Israel in October, and this time around, Reconstructionist leaders hold three seats among the 56 (nearly 40%) won by ARZA. Rabbi Deborah Waxman, our board chair David Roberts and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of CBST all plan to join with colleagues in the Reform movement to vote for religious equality, gender equality and a just and lasting peace at the upcoming Congress. What's New from Camp JRF? Now is the time to register your kids for a joyful, creative, and inclusive Reconstructionist summer experience. Campers swim, play sports, sing and explore the arts, all while forming lasting friendships and forging their own Jewish identities. Apply now for Summer 2016 at http://campjrf.org/parents/application. Experience Camp JRF with their new promo video: http://campjrf.org/video. Commit to Living Jewishly and Nurturing Others Through Jewish Expression As we begin the Jewish New Year 5776, the Reconstructionist Movement hopes you will join our very first “Click and Commit” campaign. It’s our way to nurture progressive Jewish life not just in our own congregations and havurot, but everywhere. We’ll send offerings and ideas for anyone who’s interested in progressive Judaism. Visit rrcjrc.nationbuilder.com to join in. Save the Date: "Wrestling with Jewish Peoplehood” Conference and Shabbaton Join us from April 8-11, 2016 in Philadelphia as we explore Jewish peoplehood. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months. Save the Date: Hevreh For the second year in a row, members of Reconstructionist communities are invited to participate in Hevreh, a retreat for adult Jewish learners. The 2016 retreat will take place July 13-17 at Capital Camps in Waynesboro, PA. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months. Hanukkah Resources Looking for innovative insights into Hanukkah? Check out Ritualwell's Hanukkah page at http:// ritualwell.org/categories/20. Meet Miriam Peskowitz We want to introduce RRC’s new Director of Communications, Miriam Peskowitz. She will be in touch with you next week with questions about how you use the monthly information we send, how we can best serve you, and how we can learn what YOUR congregation is doing, in order to share with others around the Reconstructionist world. She can always be reached at mpeskowitz@rrc.edu, and looks forward to getting to know you. 18
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Congregation P’nai Tikvah Women’s Rosh Chodesh Group If you are interested in hosting, please contact the office 702.436.4900
November 15, 2015
Kislev
Home of Edie Edwards
December 13, 2015
Tevet
Home of Laurie Lytel
January 10, 2016
Shevat
Home of Ellen Royer
February 7, 2016
Adar I
Home of Annie Wolff
March 13, 2016
Adar II
Home of Ann Mandell
April 10, 2016
Nisan
Home of Jennifer Cohen
May 15, 2016
Iyyar
Home of Eileen Ancman
June 5, 2016
Sivan
Home of Rabbi Yocheved Mintz
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SIGN UP TO SPONSOR AND/OR CATER AN ONEG Our first and third Friday evening services create space for people to socialize, to talk over the ideas Rabbi Mintz has shared in her sermon, and to meet one another. Sponsoring and/or catering the Oneg Shabbat is a lovely way to share joy of Shabbat with the community. Any reason is a good reason to sponsor and/or cater an Oneg! Perhaps you are marking a special event (a birth, baby-naming, engagement, wedding, anniversary, graduation, bar/bat mitzvah) or you want to remember a loved one in a special way, or celebrate a return to health, a new job…or any reason. Nov 6
Sponsored by Dale Gardner and Catered by Jennifer Cohen in honor of their birthday’s
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Sponsored by Marian Baum in memory of mother, Betty Baum and Catered by Sponsored by Nancey Eason in blessed memory of her father, William Eason & Catered by Nancey Eason benchmarking 5 years of a healing journey. Sponsored by Ellen Royer in honor of her father’s memory and Catered by
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Sponsored by Marian Baum in memory of father, Isidore Baum and Catered by 21
CLASS OFFERINGS AT CPT-702.436.4900
Ten weeks starting in the Winter 2015 Cost: $165.00 for members $215.00 for non-members 6 participants to start a session Call the office: 702-436-4900
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eels ‌ h d W u Talm Training d u with to Talm Intro
IVDU
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HASHEM B’SIMCHA
Jewish Liturgy as a Spiritual System
Come on a journey of joy as we discover what Jewish Liturgy has to offer us today as a Spiritual System. This first 10-week session is planned for Monday evenings starting in Winter 2015 165.00 for members 215.00 for non members minimum of six students to begin Contact 702.436.4900 for more information 22
Chai Mitzvah participants make a commitment to "Grow their Judaism" in three aspects: Ritual, Social Action and Learning. Chai Mitzvah meets monthly to facilitate continuing Adult Education experience that lets the students explore what they are interested in learning as a group and individually.
This years topics will be: November 22, 2015-“ Path of Blessings” facilitated by Jennifer Cohen based on the book by Reb Marcia Prager December 20, 2015-Do Jews Believe in the Afterlife facilitated by Jennifer Cohen January 17, 2016-Angels, Demons and Dybukks facilitated by Iris Katz February 14, 2016-Compassion facilitated by Nancey Eason March 6, 2016-Joy of Judaism facilitated by Iris Katz April 3, 2016-Many Faces of Judaism facilitated by Jennifer Cohen May 1, 2016-The Love of Kindness or Loving Kindness facilitated by Nancey Eason June 12, 2016-”Headed to the Mikvah” facilitated by the Chai Mitzvah class of 2015-2016
Fee for the Year is $25.00 Call 702.436.4900 for more information
"Grow Your Judaism Your Way: Ritual, Social Action,
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COMMUNITY TRIP TO ISRAEL June 27 to July 7th, 2016 SIGN UP TO RECEIVE INFORMATION AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE INFO@PNAITIKVAHLV.ORG
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Dale Gardner Jennifer Cohen Stephanie Paykel Ellen Royer Zandra Bender Ann Brandt Patsy Kart Susana Abrams Barbara Holland
1-Nov 4-Nov 8-Nov 8-Nov 9-Nov 11-Nov 16-Nov 16-Nov 27-Nov
Stephanie & Gary Paykel 21-Nov
Jewlicious Learners Classes continue in November of 2015, Monday afternoons at the Rabbi’s home, from 4:15 to 6:00, October to June. Fall Registration is open. 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 Kol HaNeshamah siddur. VOLUNTEERISM ABOUNDS AT CPT 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. 25
For the Month of November Arthur Ackerman -Remembered by Jackie Ackerman and Family Kate Bender -Remembered by Elliot Bender Joseph DeLee -Remembered by Michael DeLee Nathan Etkind -Remembered by Ann Brandt Bessie Freedman -Remembered by Barbara Holland Norman Marcus -Remembered by Marlene Marcus Bernice Ruby Rosin Mintz -Remembered by Maxine Blechman James Nussbaum -Remembered by Michael Nussbaum Betty Paykel -Remembered by Gary Paykel David Rauch -Remembered by Gloria Granat Harry Rose -Remembered by Stanley Rose Bernice Roshkind -Remembered by Jane Kusel Harry Stromberg -Remembered by Rabbi Yocheved Mintz Sarah Sheinberg Porath Stromberg -Remembered by Rabbi Yocheved Mintz Maurice Wagmeister -Remembered by Sam Wagmeister Esther Weiman -Remembered by Barbara Holland
Memorial plaques are available; 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
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COMMUNITY RESOURCES Jewish Free Loan Program-The Jewish Free Loan Program (JFL) was established by the Jewish Federation and administered by the Jewish Family Service Agency to assist members of our Jewish community with short-term, no-interest loans of up to $2,500. For more information about the Jewish Free Loan Program please contact Renea Parr at the Jewish Family Service Agency (rparr@jfsalv.org) or 702-732-0304. United Way Fund for Families-Our Jewish Federation has a close working partnership with United Way and the Marilyn & Tom Spiegel Fund for Families. The fund was established by the Spiegel's to specifically address financial needs for families with children who are struggling to make "ends meets" and who are committed to providing a wholesome family environment for their children in spite of short-term financial insecurity. To learn more about this program please contact Jewish Federation at 702-732-0556.
Find us on the second floor of Center for Social Justice in Houssels House, across from the Architecture Library. Matthew Kramer-Morning | Director, The Hillel Jewish Student Center at UNLV Sigesmund Center | 2317 Renaissance Drive | Las Vegas, NV 89119 Email: Matthew@jewishlasvegas.com
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COMMUNITY RESOURCES (cont.)
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Jewish Family Service Agency (JFSA) is looking to fill several volunteer positions within the food pantry. The following Openings are available: Client Intake, Food Packing and Distribution – M, W, F from 8:30-12:30 (weekly shifts of 3 or 4 hours) Pantry Maintenance – M, W, Th, F between 1:00-5:00 (weekly shifts from 1 hour and up) Food Pantry Coordinator – 15 hour per week commitment (schedule can be flexible) Middle School and High School students are welcome to join our team! Please contact Katie Brase at 702-732-0304 or at katieb@jfsalv.org for further information.
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COMMUNITY REWARDS
OUR SMITH’S NPO NUMBER IS 61229.
61229
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Nid’vei Lev- Donations from the Heart Rabbi Discretionary Fund Mazel Tov on the birth of Rabbi Mintz’s Great Granddaughter. L’Shalom, Anita Lewy In honor of Rabbi Mintz becoming a “Savta Ravta” from Nancey Eason High Holiday Kol Nidrei Pledge Lea Ackerman Harriet Bernstein Frank Diamond Sandra Goldman Kristen Jaeger and Tim Lockett Jane Kusel Ann Mandell In Honor of In honor of High Holiday Honors from Nancey Eason In honor of Rabbi Mintz’s becoming a Great Grandparent from Stanley & Sondra Rose. In honor of the birthday of Stanley Rose from Sondra Rose In honor of the aliyah during the High Holidays from Stanley and Sondra Rose In memory of In memory of Ada Rosenstein, mother of Sondra Rose from Sondra Rose In memory of Abraham Rosenstein, father of Sondra Rose from Sondra Rose In memory of Rabbi Schachet from Tammy Kramer MiSheBeriach for Marie Ackerman from Nancey Eason Tiffany Freud from Nancey Eason Andy Holland from Nancey Eason Yisrael Yitzhak ben Chanah from Nancey Eason Stan Zuckerman from Anita Lewy Torah Study Nancey Eason
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November 2 November 2 November 3 November 4 November 6 November 7 November 9 November 9 November 10 November 11 November 12 November 15 November 15 November 16 November 18 November 20 November 21 November 22 November 22 November 23 November 26 November 30 December 2 December 3 December 4 December 5 December 7 December 9 December 13 December 13 December 14
CALENDAR AT A GLANCE: 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning 7:00PM Biblical Hebrew III 6:30 PM Jewish, Alive and American 7:00 PM Biblical Hebrew I 6:30 PM Tot Shabbat, Kabbalat and Ma’ariv at the Kraft Sussman Chapel 10:00 AM Torah Study-Par’shat Hayyei Sarah at the Home of Rabbi Mintz 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning 7:00PM Biblical Hebrew III 6:30 PM Jewish, Alive and American 7:00PM Biblical Hebrew I 7:00 PM CPT Board Meeting 11:30 AM Brunch with Brilliants featuring Jeremy Wallace 7:00 PM Women’s Rosh Chodesh at the home of Edie Edwards 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning 7:00 PM Biblical Hebrew I 7:30 PM Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv at the Kraft-Sussman Chapel 10:00 AM Torah Study—Par’shat VaYeze at the home of Rabbi Mintz 3:30 PM Chai Mitzvah at the home of Jennifer Cohen 6:30 PM Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Congregation Ner Tamid 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning Thanksgiving 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning 7:00 PM Biblical Hebrew I 7:00 PM Jewish Federation Annual Meeting at Temple Beth Sholom 6:30 PM Tot Shabbat, Kabbalat and Ma’ariv at the Kraft Sussman Chapel 10:00 AM Torah Study—Par’shat Va-Yeshev at the home of Rabbi Mintz 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning- Channukah Party 7:00 PM Biblical Hebrew I 1:00 PM CPT Bowl-A-Thon 7:00 PM Women’s Rosh Chodesh at the home of Laurie Lytel 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning
Blessing for the Month of Kislev (October 12-December 12): May we be blessed with faith, allowing us to open up to new possibilities and dimensions, enabling us to go forward together in ways we might not solely take on, on our own. Amen. 32