With improvements to the Arkansas River slated to open on Labor Day weekend, we’re excited for a city-wide celebration. One of the signature events? A return of the Great Tulsa Raft Race on Monday, September 2. Following in the footsteps of those who have come before us, we’re working on our raft and look forward to seeing you out on the river! Pictured on the cover are images and awards taken from previous Synagogue raft race experiences. Looking forward to a joyous occasion!
Daniel S. Kaiman ............................... Principal Rabbi
Marc Boone Fitzerman ................. Rabbi (of Counsel)
Mark Goldman ........................................... President
Aaron Miller ......................... Executive Vice President
Ross Heyman ...................................... Vice President
Brae Riley ............................................ Vice President
Kate Basch ............................ Sisterhood Co-President
Rebecca Fine Stallings ......... Sisterhood Co-President
Nancy Cohen ...................... Sisterhood Gift Shop Chair
August Program Highlights
AFTERNOON/EVENING SERVICES
Join us on Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:30 p.m. in the Davis-Goodall Chapel for traditional prayer and community Mourner’s Kaddish. Both in-person and Zoom participation are available. Please register for in-person attendance on our website.
SHABBAT MORNING SERVICES
Every Saturday at 9:30 a.m., we celebrate Shabbat through song, Torah study, and fellowship. These services, available both in-person and via Zoom, offer a chance to mark anniversaries, celebrate milestones, and engage in our congregation’s ritual life.
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7:00 P.M. BLATT + BLUE: ONE LIFE
One Life details the history of Nicholas “Nicky” Winton, a young London broker who helps rescue hundreds of predominantly Jewish children from Czechoslovakia in a race against time before Nazi occupation closes the borders on the verge of World War II. Fifty years later, Nicky (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is haunted by the fate of those he wasn’t able to bring to safety. The film can be seen on Amazon Prime for a modest fee on your home screen. Join us for our conversation on Zoom (918 583 7121). Newcomers are welcome to join the dialogue.
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9:30 A.M. BAR MITZVAH OF TYGER JACOBS
Please join the coming-of-age celebration for Tyger Jacobs, son of Michael Jacobs and Jen Zilin, brother of Lilah and Zeki, grandson of Jeanne Jacobs and Ellen and Barry Zilin. Tyger will be leading Shabbat morning services in honor of the occasion. Tyger has been guided in his preparations by his tutor, Kathy Sandler, and Morah Sara Levitt. Taking place in our sanctuary, this service will also be fully accessible via Zoom, allowing for participation from all parts of our community.
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7:30 P.M. TISHA B’AV: FASTING AND FEEDING
AUGUST 2024, PUBLISHED MONTHLY
CONGREGATION
B’NAI EMUNAH
1719 South Owasso Tulsa, Oklahoma 74120
Office: (918) 583-7121
School: (918) 585-KIDS
Fax: (918) 747-9696
Web: tulsagogue.com
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news. (Isaiah 52:7)
Tisha B’av is considered the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. To commemorate the destruction of the first and second Temples, we’ll gather in the Atrium to sit low to the ground and sing songs of sadness. Following services, we’ll begin our fast by preparing snack packs to be donated to the Day Center for the Homeless. We mark our communal losses by doing what we can to help others.
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9:00 A.M. FIRST DAY OF SHULSCHOOL
School is back in session! A new year of learning, community, and fun begins. Every Sunday morning during the school year, our building is filled with the sounds of our kids exploring Jewish values, holidays, and the meaning of shared community. Caring and creative
faculty are planning a great year ahead. Of course, due to the generosity of many, including our Sisterhood, this program is complimentary for Synagogue members. Interested in learning more? Be in touch with Morah Sara at slevitt@bnaiemunah.com for questions and registration information!
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9:30 A.M. FETO: FREE EGGS TO ORDER SUNDAY SEMINAR
Ukrainian-American writer, editor and translator Boris Dralyuk will present the works of Jewish author, Isaac Babel, whose name is forever linked to his own native city, Odessa. Babel, considered one of the greatest prose writers of Russian Jewry, is best known for his documented accounts of the horrors of war witnessed during the PolishSoviet War of 1920 in Red Calvary and Odessa Stories. Breakfast at 9:30 a.m, Seminar at 10:30 a.m.
21 7:00 P.M. TU B’AV DATE NIGHT
It’s the Jewish holiday of love, so let us help you plan a unique date night to celebrate with your significant other. We’re delighted to partner with the talented culinary team at Oren for a brilliantly curated meal and wine tasting paired with dinner conversation themes of this Jewish version of Valentine’s Day. Dinner seating is limited, and reservations for this evening’s experience will be on a firstcome, first-serve basis.
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4:00 P.M. FIRST DAY OF HEBREW LANGUAGE LAB
Wednesday afternoons are the place to be for Synagogue kids in third through sixth grade. Our Hebrew Language Lab program blends small group learning, text study, Hebrew electives and T’fillah (prayer) experiences together to prepare students to navigate Hebrew prayer, Jewish culture, and community. Please note that there is an optional second grade start for this program. To register and learn more please be in touch with Morah Sara at slevitt@bnaiemunah.com.
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5:30 P.M. SHABBAT SHALOM: MUSICAL CIRCLE
Experience a musical Shabbat evening with songs and stories. This event is an ideal introduction to Shabbat traditions, welcoming participants of all ages and backgrounds.
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6:15 P.M. SHABBAT SHALOM DINNER
There are few things better than a bountiful Shabbat feast enjoyed with family and friends. Join us for this Passover evening catered dinner filled with conversation and community. We’ll do the cooking and cleaning so you can relax and enjoy.
Milestones
IN MEMORIAM
Norm Bleicher
Father of Noah Bleicher
Dr. Eugene Cohen
Husband of Alice Cohen
Nathaniel and Jamarious Richardson
Nephew and Grand Nephew of Melvin Giles
Andy Seigel
Husband of Jamie Seigel
Father of Cole, Ana Padgett, May, and Abi
Felicia Silvestri
Aunt of Cassidy Petrazzi
BIRTHS
Tipper Transou
Daughter of Anna Padgett Seigel and Tyler Transou Granddaughter of Jamie Seigel and Andy Seigel, z’l Sister to Holland Transou
Niece to Cole, May, and Abi Seigel
Levi Joseph Schnau
Son of Phoebe and Joe Schnau
Grandson of Susie Serafin
Bar Mitzvah of Tyger Jacobs
AUGUST 10, 2024
Tyger Jacobs, son of Michael Jacobs and Jen Zilin, will become a Bar Mitzvah on August 10, 2024.
Tyger is in the magnet program at Edison Preparatory Middle School where he is on the Honor Roll and will start eighth grade this fall. He's a graduate of Zarrow International School's Spanish immersion program. Tyger attended B'nai Emunah's Shul School and enjoyed summers at Camp Shalom for ten years, working as a CIT this year. Tyger has two siblings, Lilah (19) and Zeki (16). He is the grandson of Jeanne Jacobs of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Ellen and Barry Zilin of Woodbridge, Virginia.
Preparations for his Bar Mitzvah have been led by Kathy Sandler and Morah Sara Levitt. The community is invited to join Tyger's family for services at 9:30 a.m.
Thank You Volunteers!
We’re grateful to receive tremendous support from volunteers for many parts of our work. Thank you to those who have supported us recently in the following areas:
Bikur Cholim: Cooking, Baking and Delivering to Those in Our Community in Need
Sharon Cash
Nancy Cohen
Dr. Rick Cohen
Terry Marcum
Joan Neidell
Kathy Sandler
Refugee Resettlement: Warehouse Transportation, Welcoming, and Home Setups for Refugee Arrivals
Elvira Arce
Ann Dunagan
Olivia Duncan
Alex Ethington
Isaac Ethington
Josh Ethington
Lewis Ethington
Kris Greer
Noah Greer
Zach Greer
Dan Griffiths
Michael Griffiths
James Gunn
Joey Hardgrave
Andrea Heinig
Nick Heinig
Mary Holden
Steve Jordan
Wyatt Jordan
Robert Meyers
Morris Miller
Katelyn Parlin
Brenda Rhae
Brae Riley
Shane Ross
Brad Sanditen
Isabella Silberg
Brian Sells
Isaac Sells
Zac Sells
Pierce Tatum
Rueger Tatum
From Rabbi Kaiman
ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
At the beginning of this past school year, our Synagogue started a five-day-a-week after-school program. Every day, a group of students walked from our neighborhood public school down tree-lined streets to the warm embrace of an open and welcoming religious institution. The program came together as a response to the needs of working parents and the pressures on families to do the very best for their children.
Watching these kids decompress into the safe and loving arms of caring educators at the end of the school day inside the doors of our Synagogue was a beautiful sight. The program was a daily reminder of the value that religious communities can offer to support public education. I know we are a stronger
Our daily after-school program works for its kids and families because it is an activity they choose to incorporate into their lives. But it also works because our schools are in dire need of resources, support, and leadership. Sadly, the type of leadership we see from our State Superintendent feels like a distraction from the duty to serve our students and families. Public education in Oklahoma needs more support and attention. Just not this attention.
Religious communities like ours can be a source of strength for all. Let’s work to uphold the separation of church and state while we do everything we can to improve public education for all our children.
“Our public schools are open to all students, regardless of religion, and should not promote any one religion over others.”
society when public institutions can work hand in hand with faith communities. There is plenty we can offer each other.
However, today’s directive by our State Superintendent that all public schools must teach the Bible and the Ten Commandments blurs the line between religious instruction and public education in deeply concerning ways. The founders of this country saw public education as the cornerstone of our democracy. Co-opting one faith tradition’s religious symbols and language as part of a public school curriculum usurps parental rights and creates an environment tainted with religious bias. Our public schools are open to all students, regardless of religion, and should not promote any one religion over others.
Addendum: Originally shared on social media and via email, this piece was written and published just hours after State Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters announced that he would be mandating the Bible as part of the Oklahoma public school curriculum. In the past weeks, we’ve learned more about these plans, including published guidelines on implementation. An interfaith network of religious leaders, communities, and politicians have voiced concerns and came together in shared message. In partnership with Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, we will host a public event on September 9, screening Bad Faith alongside a Q&A with the filmmaker and Rachel Laser, CEO of Americans United.
States requiring public schools to teach the Bible and the Ten Commandments
From Sara Levitt
WRITING MIDRASH OURSELVES
We are the people of the book. This moniker, used to describe Jews and Christians under Islamic rule in the Middle Ages, has become a label we wear with pride. While the original meaning denoted that Jews and Christians possessed a prior revelation from God, we have grown into the name. We’re the people of many books: the stories of our ancestors, the questions and conversations about Jewish law, memories of prophecy and
While our people have been writing midrash for centuries, one of the best parts of this practice lies in its accessibility to all. Anyone can write a midrash! With this frame, we begin the story of another year in our ShulSchool programs. In ShulSchool, we too approach our stories and traditions with a lens of curiosity and creativity. We encourage our students to understand many perspectives of Jewish life and challenge
“ShulSchool enhances the lives of our children and their families, helps fill in the gaps of Jewish practice and ritual, and inspires new ways of thinking about the world.”
poetry, and more. A culture of reading, curiosity, learning, and discussion is one of the things I love most about our tradition. Over the course of my summer preparations for the school year, I stumbled upon a book of modern midrash. The book, called Maybe It Happened This Way, by Rabbi Leah Rachel Berkowitz and Erica Wovsaniker, retells 20 stories of the greatest hits in the Torah. Midrash is a mode of biblical interpretation that encourages new insight and imagination to fill in narrative gaps in a story. A great midrash might teach us something we never thought of, develop characters in our stories, or enhance the stories we’ve read for many years. A midrashic author can take risks and ask hard questions when crafting their interpretations. It's creative and outside the box thinking.
each other to think about how our Jewish values can live in the world today. Like the act of midrash, we know that ShulSchool enhances the lives of our children and their families, helps fill in the gaps of Jewish practice and ritual, and inspires new ways of thinking about the world—more on how we’ll invite students to craft midrash later this year.
The first day of ShulSchool begins on August 18! Registration for the school year is live and waiting for you. Do you know someone who would love ShulSchool as much as you? Please pass along their information or put them in touch with me! We can’t wait to kick off another incredible year in our school programs.
Altamont Bakery
Julie Frank
Anne V. Zarrow Courtyard Fund
Sheryl and Harold Springer
Brian Sweet Multi-Media Fund
Faye and Marvin Robinowitz
Carol Sweet Memorial Fund for Single-Parent Families
