Messenger November 2016

MESSENGER

100

volume

FROMBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NAI THE RABBI HIGHLIGHTS THECALENDAR SYNAGOGUE | CONGREGATION EMUNAH | TULSA | NOVEMBER 2016 | NO. 11

CENTENNIAL GALA ON DECEMBER 11 - SEE PAGE 7 FOR DETAILS

PERSONALS

MASTHEAD

BEREAVEMENTS

THE MESSENGER

Milton Wolff Husband of Diana Wolff Father of Stuart Wolff and Cindy Zelby

November 2016 - Published Monthly | Bi-Monthly

CONGREGATION B’NAI EMUNAH 1719 South Owasso Tulsa, Oklahoma 74120 Office: (918) 583‑7121 School: (918) 585‑KIDS Fax: (918) 747-9696 Website: www.tulsagogue.com

Harold “Bud” Charney Husband of Yolanda Charney Father of Rebecca Marcus, David Charney and Elliot Charney

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news. (Isaiah 52:7)

Brenda Magoon Wife of Bruce Magoon Mother of Debbie Brown, Doug Magoon, and Sharna Bovasso

CENTENNIAL NOTES COMING UP QUICKLY: NOAM FAINGOLD

Renee Levin Mother of Starr Levin-Johnson

This edition of the Messenger is full of information about our Centennial Gala, scheduled for December 11. The final event before that date is the debut of a song cycle by Noam Faingold in honor of our anniversary celebration. Noam has taken texts closely associated with the Synagogue and set them to music for the purpose of communal singing.

Penny Callahan Grandmother of Tyler Callahan MAZAL TOV

Noam is set to debut these songs on the evening of November 20, immediately following the next edition of the Seventeenth Street Delicatessen. The time is 7:30 p.m. Please join us in Davis-Goodall Chapel on that evening to hear Noam speak about his work and hear the results. There is no charge for this event, and all are welcome.

We are all incredibly proud of Dr. Elana Newman, McFarlin Professor of Psychology at the University of Tulsa, who published an opinion piece responding to a national conversation about “trigger warnings” in the New York Times. Did you have a chance to check out the Tulsa State Fair? We hope you saw that our member Dr. W.C. Goad received two prizes for his accomplished baking entries. We can’t wait to taste his award winning challah and magical gluten-free cake. Mazal tov, also, to Gwenn RedCorn on her prizewinning apple butter.

In other developments, we’re planning a big Centennial Year display of yarmulkas (kippot) imprinted for special occasions/life cycle events. If your drawers are full of them, please drop your surplus at the Synagogue. We are also eager to accomplish a project that will require many unused tallitot (tallises). Whatever you can pass along would be very helpful!

ON THE COVER Given anonymously to the Synagogue, this image is excerpted from a larger work by Marcel Janco. Born in Bucharest, Janco was a prominent figure in the Dada movement who found his way to pre-State Israel during World War II. Here he depicts an heroic Zionist idea: the reforestation of the dry landscape of Palestine. Janco went on to help found the famous artists’ village of Ein Hod and was an influential teacher and mentor to many Israeli artists.

BIBI-DIBI ON NOVEMBER 4

THE NOVEMBER CALENDAR AT B’NAI EMUNAH 4

ism has to say about the mourning process. For more information, contact Rabbi Kaiman in the Synagogue Office.

BIBI-DIBI: SHABBAT FOR TOTS

Very young children and their parents are invited to join us for another soft and cuddly Shabbat experience. Parachutes, rattles and toys sit at the center of our circle while parents and kids share in the blessings of peaceful Shabbat. A delicious, kid-friendly Shabbat dinner accompanies this program. It all gets started at 6:00 p.m. Please call or visit our website by Thursday, November 3, to reserve your spot on the floor.

It’s not just for you. It’s not just for me. It’s Shabbat for Everyone at CBE! Our monthly, kid-friendly Shabbat experience begins with a delicious dinner prepared by us, so you can just relax and enjoy. We then move into the sounds and movements of a joyous Friday night celebration. Your feet will be stomping as the music carries us forward into the night. Top it all off with a delightful story and you’ve got yourself one can’t-miss evening. No reservation is needed for the service at 7:00 p.m. But please call or visit our website by Wednesday, November 16, to guarantee your place at the dinner table. Special addition: the babynaming of Fiona Finan, daughter of Loren Berlin and John Finan.

SISTERHOOD MEMBERSHIP BRUNCH

The Synagogue Sisterhood honors established members and welcomes newcomers each year at this annual membership event. This year Ken Busby, Executive Director/CEO of the Route 66 Alliance will speak about revitalization efforts including plans for a new museum. Sara Levitt, the Synagogue’s new Director of Jewish Life and Learning, will be present to share in special words of welcome. The event is free to Sisterhood members, who may join with a $36 dues contribution. For further information or to RSVP, contact Rebecca Plunkett at (918) 899-4155 or rebecca.lederman@gmail.com.

ADULT INSTITUTE BEGINS

SEVENTEENTH STREET DELI

It’s our authentic Jewish delicatessen in Tulsa, Oklahoma. House-cured pastrami, fresh baked rye bread, half-sour pickles—the only thing missing is the Formica counter-top. You’re hungry for this and we’re ready to feed you. For just $25 a person, fulfill the nostalgic longing of the Jewish people over a deli dinner. Bring friends, bring neighbors, bring appetites! Visit tulsadeli.org today to reserve your spot. Immediately following the meal, composer Noam Faingold will debut a four-song cycle written in honor of the Synagogue Centennial.

BAT MITZVAH OF JULIA BUTKIN

We note with pride the upcoming bat mitzvah of Julia Butkin, daughter of Robert and Nina Butkin. The Mincha and Havdallah services will begin at 4:15 p.m. As always, everyone in the congregation is invited to attend this public celebration. Here’s to joyous occasions for us all!

OPERATION UNDERSTANDING

Operation Understanding brings together middle school and high school students to afford them an opportunity to learn about various religions in Tulsa. As the group visits the houses of worship, they learn how diverse faith communities operate. In its 34th year, this experience helps students understand, appreciate and respect differences in religion. This year the tour will visit Masjid Al-Salam, All Souls Unitarian Church and Congregation B’nai Emunah. Please contact Sara Levitt for more information and to arrange participation.

As a community-wide effort to foster continuing education, the Adult Institute of Jewish Studies provides high quality instructors teaching a variety of courses each year. This year’s fall semester begins on Monday, November 7 and will continue each Monday for six weeks. To register or for more information, visit jewishtulsa.org or contact Mindy Prescott at the JCC by calling (918) 495-1111.

SHABBAT FOR EVERYONE

DOING JEWISH: MOURNING AND GRIEF

Please call the Synagogue to order your new Centennial T-Shirt. The cost is $18. It’s a pretty cute shirt, if we do say so ourselves. Call (918) 583-7121.

Losing a loved one is never easy. Grief and pain give way to a spectrum of emotions and experiences. As we confront this reality, our tradition outlines a framework of behaviors and ideas to structure our actions in moments of chaos. At this workshop on practical Jewish living, we explore what Juda3

BAT MITZVAH

DECEMBER AT A GLANCE

JULIA NICOLE BUTKIN

BAR MITZVAH OF JORDAN KUPETSKY

DOING JEWISH: THE PERFECT LATKE

BIBI-DIBI

CENTENNIAL GALA

SHABBAT FOR EVERYONE: CHANUKAH

WINTERWORKS CHANUKAFEST

24 FOR 24 AND COOKIEBAKE 2016

You can make reservations for any Synagogue event by calling Gwenn or Caroline at our special Reservations Hotline: (918) 935-3373. You can also use the Reservations Page on the Synagogue website at www.tulsagogue.com. On the back inside page of this edition, you’ll find the monthly calendar of the Synagogue, with candlelighting times, our regular service schedule, the Religious School calendar and other routine events.

Julia Nicole Butkin (Delilah Na’amayah), daughter of Nina and Robert Butkin, will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday November 12, 2016, 11 Cheshvan 5777, at Congregation B’nai Emunah. Preparing Julia for this transitional moment is Debbye Zanerhaft, under the direction of Rabbi Kaiman and Rabbi Fitzerman.

The calendar on this page is intended to draw attention to upcoming programs. For a full description of special moments on the calendar, please check the pages headed Featured Events. You can find our comprehensive calendar, including events that are months away, on our website: tulsagogue.com.

A seventh-grade student at Holland Hall, Julia enjoys cooking, traveling, and getting together with friends and family. As her mitzvah project, Julia is supporting Women in Recovery by providing birthday bags for the children of mothers who are participating in the program. The birthday bags will enable a mother and her child to celebrate the child’s birthday and create special family memories.

Please note that all yahrtzeits listed on the back page of this issue begin at sunset on the night before. They will first be announced at services on the day preceding the listed date.

Celebrating with Julia will be her parents, sisters Olivia and Claire, grandparents Dr. Herbert and Harriet Aaronson, together with her aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Please let your out-of-town family members

The community is invited to join Julia and her family for this celebration at 4:15 in the afternoon.

will soon come to an end! We would be delighted

and friends know that our Centennial Year

to have them at our Gala on December 11. Just have them call the Synagogue at

The Synagogue Centennial 1916 - 2016

(918) 935-3373 for their reservations. Thanks!

RABBI MARC FITZERMAN

TODAH RABAH

SISTERHOOD

. MANY THANKS

TENDERNESS One of the great dynamics of Jewish life is our habit of turning general concern into institutional effort. A care for the poor becomes the Hebrew Free Loan Association. A commitment to new immigrants becomes HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. One of the stories in Jewish cultural history is a shift in the level of organization. If something is worth doing, many people should be doing it, and it should be done at the highest possible level.

The holiday season brought about many opportunities for individuals to involve themselves in the work of the congregation. We are incredibly grateful to all who offered a welcoming greeting, pointed someone in the direction of a bathroom or simply shared a warm smile as a way of expressing our values about community. Our Bikur Cholim committee prepared and delivered many holiday baskets to individuals and families throughout the congregation. Thank you to Shahnaz Khalil for baking the sweetest honey cakes in North America. Thank you to Jackie Lasky and Terry Marcum for carefully assembling these beautiful gifts. And thank you to Brian Brouse, Sally Donaldson, Jackie Lasky, Carol Mandlebaum, Terry Marcum, and Debbie Raskin for delivering the treats. If you’d like to get involved with the Bikur Cholim efforts of the synagogue, please contact Sara Levitt, Director of Jewish Life and Learning.

Tenderness is one of those things we should be doing, and I’m happy to say that we are rolling forward. Sara Levitt, our Director of Jewish Life and Learning, is now recruiting for Bikur Cholim. As many of you know, this is the Synagogue effort concerned with the ill and the bereaved, and anyone else who may need a gesture of care. The name goes part of the way in describing it. Bikur Cholim literarally means visiting the sick and many communities once had such groups. We’ve revived the name and expanded the focus. It might be better to think of this as B’nai Emunah’s way of expressing tenderness to anyone in need.

A delightful and dedicated team of ushers beautifully handled the work of welcoming and community building throughout Rosh Ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur. Thank you to Debby Raskin for coordinating these efforts. Ushers included: Craig Abrahamson, Jennifer Airey, Howard Berkson, Don Blum, Tina Bollin, Harvey Cohen, Alan Goldsmith, Joli Jensen, Jennifer Joels, Renee Kaplan, Matt Levitt, Nathan Lifsics, Jane Mudgett, Elana Newman, Harris Prescott, Raeshelle Sharpnack, Jacob Tarabolous, and Mimi Tarrasch.

Despite the fact that there are many people involved, we can always use additional volunteers. Sara regularly schedules groups in our kitchen to prepare and store meals for delivery. Our aim is to produce high-quality menus that speak to a real concern for taste and nourishment. It’s never enough to slam something together. A mourner or ill person should feel that someone really cared. And then we need people to make deliveries, to stand at a door somewhere in Tulsa to say, “We’re here for you and we’ll come again. You can count on your congregational family.”

A sukkah isn’t a sukkah without a load of bamboo to make the roof. Thank you to Howard Berkson for chairing this year’s bamboo harvesting efforts. Along with his team of Gabriel Berkson, Phillip Burger, Paul Charters, Seth Lapidus, Larry Lieberman, Ari Rotenberg, Jacob Shirley, Michael Roue, and Ben West, he made sure there would be shade in our sukkah.

If you’d like to be involved in this crucial mitzvah, please call Sara anytime in the days ahead. She can be reached at the Synagogue at (918) 583-7121. She will slot you in and get you started. And please do the same if there’s someone you know who could use a meal from the kitchens of the Synagogue. We may ask if you’d like to help, but you can count on us to make the delivery as quickly as possible. The other standard we try to observe is zerizut le-mitzvah. If there is a mitzvah to be done, do it as quickly as you can.

For quick reference, please check the Synagogue’s website at

www.tulsagogue.com. Synagogue membership information?

You’ll find a useful calendar and many other helpful features, including a growing collection of liturgical music.

Please call Rabbi Daniel Shalom Kaiman at (918) 583-7121. We’d love to help.

THE SYNAGOGUE ARCHIVE

J.H. Bloch was part of the first group of Synagogue presidents who served during the period of our building at Ninth and Cheyenne. His term of office—1924 to 1925— places him at a hinge in our history. At the beginning of his tenure, the congregation mourned the death of Reverend M. Himelstein, a dapper figure who helped stabilize the congregation during its tumultuous first decade. A year later, Rabbi Morris Teller, the congregation’s first rabbi, departed Tulsa for a new pulpit in Chicago. President Bloch was thus forced to contend with two significant losses, and he helped hold the congregation together until the arrival of Rabbi Harry Epstein. Our thanks to Cheryl Bloch Wallace for this lovely picture.

FEATURED EVENTS

of the twentieth century. Dr. Jeffrey Gurock, professor of American Jewish History at Yeshiva University, has called B’nai Emunah a battleground in these struggles. Though the founding generation consisted of strong traditionalists, these same figures engaged, and then regretted the hiring of, Rabbi Morris Teller, a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) and the Synagogue’s first official rabbi. At that point, JTS represented a shift toward pragmatism, innovation, and the Americanization of Jewish life in North America. Even the matter of sermons in English vs. Yiddish was hotly contested. Danny Kraft tells the stories of Teller and his six successors in a carefully researched volume that describes a series of conflicts between the traditionalist and progressive impulses.

CENTENNIAL GALA ON DECEMBER 11 From its beginnings as a prayer quorum of immigrant Jews from Latvia to its current status as a dynamic, big-hearted Oklahoma synagogue, Congregation B’nai Emunah tells the story of Judaism in America. The Synagogue is now planning the final official event of a year-long anniversary calendar, its Centennial Gala. Invitations have gone out to every member of the Jewish community. The event will take place on Sunday evening, December 11, at 6:00 p.m., and seats are still available. Guests will be treated to a five-course banquet catered by Justin Thompson, prominent chef and the guiding force behind Juniper, Prhyme, and Tavolo, three of Tulsa’s most notable restaurants. Music for an evening of dancing will come from Golem, a New York City band known for its retro-hip sound and its brilliant reimagining of the Ashkenazic musical tradition.

The congregation has celebrated its anniversary in a variety of events and special projects. It has commissioned a song cycle of congregational melodies by young composer Noam Faingold, winner of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Fellowship, founder of the Burning City Orchestra, and director of the Barthelmes Conservatory. It has mounted celebratory events, including a Touro Dinner salute to its living past presidents and a special edition of “Rise Up Singing,” a look at musical theater offerings from each of the congregation’s ten decades and a tribute to the long history of musicals at the Synagogue. Several albums have been released in the course of the year, including recordings of music for Shabbat, Passover, and the High Holidays, all part of the repertoire of Klay Kodesh, the Synagogue’s musical ensemble. The B’nai Emunah Sisterhood assembled the fifth edition of its notable series Kum Essen, a collection of recipes from women and men in the congregation.

Those who would like to participate in the Gala should call the Synagogue Reservations Line immediately at (918) 9353373. Gala seats are $75 per person, and complimentary child care will be available in the Preschool classrooms of the Synagogue. The founding members of the congregation were a mix of craftsman and laborers from Varaklani—a storied town with an exceptionally large and vibrant Jewish community—and families who had already achieved economic success in the Ohio oilfields. Many of these same families—Aaronson, Travis, Livingston, and others—would rise to the top of their industry, while hewing closely to the traditionalism of their ancestors. There was no inconsistency between the gold-leafed library in the Travis Mansion (now the Tulsa Garden Center), set back on the hill that descends to Peoria, and the large, functional mikveh (ritual bath) in the basement. Like their peers, the family of one of the Synagogue’s first presidents, David Travis, was determined to live a fully American-Jewish life.

Publications from the Centennial Year include a volume on the seven original trustees of the congregation, liturgical materials used over a hundred years of congregational life, and a new seder volume expressing the Synagogue’s commitments to sustainability and environmental responsibility. It has also renewed its ties to the Latvian Jewish community by funding the maintenance of the cemetery in Varaklani. Still to come is a volume by Synagogue members reflecting on their Jewish lives in Oklahoma (My Jewish Tulsa), as well as an anniversary chronicle covering the second half-century of Synagogue life. Both will be published in early 2017, as the congregation continues to review its history and examine key aspects of its institutional life. In the meantime, Synagogue visitors may view the Lego model of Congregation B’nai Emunah, designed by master builder Adam Reed Tucker, along with accompanying projects by the students in the B’nai Emunah schools and adult Board members of the congregation.

At the same time, the congregation lived out the tensions between progressive and traditionalist views in the first half

Please drop off your unwanted

WEARABLE SHOES

Centennial Gala Chairs Nancy Cohen, Mark Goldman, and Jolene Sanditen-Stephens have spent months organiz-

at the front door of the Synagogue this season.

(continued on page 8) 7

GENEROSITY

FEATURED EVENTS (continued from page 7)

AMAZON SMILE

ing this final celebration and hope that patrons enjoy an experience built around the joyous gathering of the congregational family and its many friends. According to Nancy, “We’ve told the history of the congregation, and listened carefully to our guest lecturers and local writers. Now it’s time to feast and dance, and we look forward to having all our friends together at the Synagogue.”

We’ve never done anything like this before, but we’re experimenting this month with Amazon Smile, a new program for charitable contribution. If you register soon at the new smile.amazon.com website (just type in Amazon Smile), your purchases will result in a charitable contribution from Amazon to the Synagogue. There is no cost to you and no cost to the Synagogue.

A background visual presentation on the night of the event will feature Faces of the Congregation—New and Vintage Images from the B’nai Emunah Archive, along with video snippets and oral histories on continuous loop in Memorial Hall. In this way, the congregation hopes to cultivate deeper interest in its story, and the long line of talented women and men who have contributed to the Synagogue and the Tulsa Jewish community.

This one seems like the proverbial win-win for a charitable organization like ours, but please let us know what you think. Synagogue Administrator Betty Lehman would be glad to walk you through the registration process, and she would love to hear if you find this approach worthwhile. At our end, everything (including small things) helps keep the Synagogue strong and healthy.

Centennial Gala Co-Chairs Nancy Cohen, Jolene Sanditen-Stephens, and Mark Goldman with the Centennial Lego Model of B’nai Emunah. 8

JEWISH LIFE AND LEARNING—SARA LEVITT Sunday mornings, we will invite families to the Synagogue to engage in service learning and hands-on activities, which will help to make a difference in the lives of those living in our own community. Let’s experience the power of learning and acting together, as families and as a synagogue community!

GOOD PEOPLE Let’s all take a deep breath! The holiday season has finally come to a close, and the new year is officially in full swing. Throughout the High Holidays, we experience great highs and lows, times of deep reflection and repentance bookended by joy and happiness. It is a Jewish educator’s dream, with multiple access points and teachable moments as children and their families descend on the synagogue more often than their usual Religious and Hebrew School routine. As hectic as preparing for Sukkot five days after Yom Kippur might feel, there is a momentum that is created as we fly from celebration to celebration. It is my greatest hope that you too feel this momentum, feeling inspired and motivated to begin the new year with a renewed sense of connection to community and commitment to sharing in new Jewish experiences.

OPERATION UNDERSTANDING On Sunday afternoon, November 20, Operation Understanding will bring together middle school and high school students to afford them an opportunity to learn about some of the various religions in Tulsa. As the group visits the houses of worship, the clergy will speak to them and answer questions. We hope this experience will help the students understand, appreciate and respect differences in religion. This year, the tour will visit Masjid Al-Salam, All Souls Unitarian Church, and Congregation B’nai Emunah. Please let Sara Levitt know if you are interested in participating.

In the beginning of our school year, I wrote about the role that both parents and teachers play in educating our children and ensuring their Jewish future. With the excitement of the holidays behind us, I hope we can push ourselves a bit further to imagine our roles in our children’s lives. Let’s extend our responsibilities both in the classroom and in our homes, not only to tell our children what is important, but to show them. We send a powerful message through our actions, as a dugmah or role model for our children, possibly even more critical than teaching around the dinner table or in the classroom.

ISJL FELLOW LEAH WITTENBERG On November 18 - 20, please join us in welcoming our ISJL (Institute of Southern Jewish Life) Fellow, Leah Wittenberg, on her first official visit to Tulsa! Leah will be participating in several Synagogue events throughout the weekend. Interested in hosting Leah for the weekend or taking her out for a meal? Contact Sara Levitt at slevitt@ bnaiemunah.com or call 918-583-7121.

Perhaps an area where we can best lead by example is through social action. As a Jewish community, we are primed for community service, as it is embedded in our culture, our teachings and our values. Our text and tradition remind us to give to those in need, to treat others with dignity and to act with justice.

INSTITUTE OF ADULT JEWISH STUDIES The Institute of Adult Jewish Studies is our community’s best effort to meet the challenge of continuing education for the Tulsa Jewish community.

One of my greatest missions as a Jewish educator is to help influence our children to be good people in the world: kind, fair, just and giving. I hope that we inspire a generation of Jewish Tulsans to give back to their community and understand this work as inherently Jewish. This work, however, can not be done alone. As partners, we can help our children to see that we have the power to add value to the world. Plugging into this kind of work together, students, teachers, and families, through a Jewish values lens is an invaluable experience.

For more than two decades, Temple Israel, Congregation B’nai Emunah, the Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center, and the Jewish Federation of Tulsa have pooled their resources to provide the highest quality and best variety of courses for the members of our Jewish community.

On November 20, we will explore this opportunity together as we embark on the first of what I hope are many Family Days of Service. During our regularly scheduled

For more information contact Mindy Prescott, at (918) 495.1111.

Our Jewish community calendar allows no other activities on Monday nights when the Institute is in session as another indication of our commitment to continuing Jewish education.

SISTERHOOD NEWS | JANET DUNDEE

UPCOMING (CONCLUDED)

If you need a recipe for latkes, take a look at the Kum Essen V cookbook, which is still available through Sisterhood. The cookbook is for sale at the Synagogue for $36.00.

SISTERHOOD MEMBERSHIP BRUNCH On Sunday morning, November 6, at 10:00 a.m., we will hold our annual Membership Brunch. In addition to a delicious catered brunch, we will be meeting Ken Busby, Executive Director/CEO of Route 66 Alliance. Ken will update us on plans for a Route 66 Museum and other efforts to enhance Route 66, which runs through Tulsa.

Do You Sense a 5777 Sisterhood theme? “Food, glorious food” seems to be our theme for 2016-2017. Kum Essen V and Miracles and Meals will contribute to creating some fabulous meals for the new Jewish year.

Sara Levitt, Director of Jewish Life and Learning, will be with us to speak about plans for new educational and congregational programs at the Synagogue.

Currently we do have a number of copies of Miracles and Meals. Contact Jan Finer, Janet Dundee or Carol Mandlebaum to purchase your copies.

All who have paid their membership dues will be entitled to free admission to this program. If you haven’t joined, just come along anyway and pay your $36 at the door.

For further information, contact Rebecca Plunkett, who is accepting RSVPs. Call her at 918-899-4155 or email Rebecca at rebecca.lederman@gmail.com. SISTERHOOD SHABBAT Here is another reminder to save the date for Sisterhood Shabbat, January 14, 2017. Our special guest will be Joanne Caras, editor of two wonderful cookbooks with Holocaust Survivors’ stories and recipes. On Sunday, January 15, we will present a free program during which Joanne will speak about the inspiration for the cookbooks and her travels around the world, collecting stories and recipes. On Sunday, we will be able to purchase her second cookbook, Miracles and Meals, which Joanne will personalize. The cost for the cookbook is $36.00; all proceeds go to support a soup kitchen/restaurant in Jerusalem, as well as other charitable programs. Shabbat services will be led by women of the congregation. If you wish to participate in the service itself, please contact Jackie Lasky. Watch for an invitation with all the details. And, of course, Sisterhood welcomes men to this annual Sisterhood Shabbat service! CHANUKAH IS AROUND THE CORNER Everyone needs a dreidel, a menorah or, at the very least, a box of colorful candles to celebrate Chanukah. The first night of Chanukah is December 24. The Gift Shop is ready to provide all the games, the cards, the menorahs and candles for this celebration. Check the Gift Shop for all your supplies.

PLEASE CONSIDER SETTLING YOUR ACCOUNT AT THE SYNAGOGUE BEFORE THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR.

FROM RABBI DAN KAIMAN

LET US HELP YOU

BAT MITZVAH

. CHILD CARE AT THE SYNAGOGUE

GO VOTE!

Child care is always available at the Synagogue. All you have to do is to let us know two days in advance of an event or a service and we will be glad to help. We love having children in the Sanctuary and the Chapel, but sometimes they are uncomfortable with their surroundings and make it difficult for others to hear. Please let us help you strike the right balance between having your children at your side and making it possible for others to participate comfortably. Todah rabah!

The opening words of Pirkei Avot, assert that Moses received the Torah from God at Sinai. He transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets to the Great Assembly. In just a few words, we connect ourselves, as members of the Great Assembly, to the source of revelation at Mount Sinai. The text teaches us that the chain of transmission is unbroken and that we are the inheritors of this great responsibility. The text also suggests that the strength of our tradition is not something that exists only in the hands of the powerful, but that each of us has an individual responsibility to contribute to a community that embodies our values. There is no greater opportunity in this country to shape a community informed by values than for each of us to exercise our right to vote. To vote is to act. To vote is to pray. To vote is to participate in the embodiment of Torah and tradition.

MEMBERSHIP NEW FACES AT THE SYNAGOGUE Here’s where we introduce new faces to B’nai Emunah. Members and their families are a source of strength to all of us, and we are pleased to bring these good people to your attention. Meet our new members:

Over the course of the month ahead, we will all be presented with a sacred opportunity. I write to remind and encourage you to vote for the candidates and state questions that best represent your values. As we walk into the voting booth, we enter sacred space (and that’s not just because the Synagogue is a polling location). In making our voices count, we perform a sacred act. We become members of a “Great Assembly.” None of us can predict the future. We do not know what tomorrow will bring. But we know that today we have an opportunity, a sacred obligation. It is our responsibility to carry forward that unbroken chain.

Joe Goldberg & Dr. Kitty Cardwell Goldberg 3812 Woodland Trails Drive Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074 We look forward to welcoming one and all as official members of the Synagogue family. Here’s to a great and lasting relationship!

VOLUNTEERISM

The nature of politics suggests that there will be inevitable arguments and disagreements. Some will win and others will lose. But as a country and a community, let us hope and pray that we all find ways to come together and move forward into the unknown. I will vote on November 8, I hope you will too.

ESL AT B’NAI EMUNAH Our English as a Second Language (ESL) class will be underway shortly, and now all we need is you!

PHILANTHROPY

Our first class will be comprised of mothers with young children. All are Burmese refugees. Classes will meet Wednesday and Friday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Synagogue, beginning in January. We are looking for volunteers for small group work, one-on-one help in the classroom setting, and childcare for children age 4 and under.

MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ONLINE Our website is once again in the midst of expansion, and you can now make all your contributions on-line. First, go to the Synagogue website at tulsagogue.com. On the left side of our “landing page” (the first page you come to), you’ll see the word donate toward the bottom. Click on that word and the website will direct you to the right destination.

A volunteer orientation will take place on Thursday, November 17, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Synagogue for all those interested. At the orientation, we will learn the basics of an English as a Second Language course and get acquainted with Burmese culture. We welcome all those interested in being a part of this project, regardless of experience. For questions and to volunteer please contact Sara at slevitt@ bnaiemunah.com or call (918) 583-7121.

If you have any difficulty with our on-line donation module, please let us know. We’re determined to make the digital world of the Synagogue as friendly and efficient as we can. Your honest feedback would be most helpful. 11

Centennial Gala Sunday, December 11, at 6:00 p.m. This is the culminating event for our Centennial Year of Celebration. We’ll ring out our year of festivities, exhibitions, tributes and events with a grand feast, a photographic tribute to members of the congregation, dancing, and toasts. We’ve done our research, built the Lego model of the Synagogue, and now it’s time for us to dance the night away. Call us or send in your invitation response card as soon as you can. The banquet is $75 per person, and we are eager to start taking reservations as soon as possible. Look for a meal from the talented hands of Justin Thompson, and the music of Golem, New York City’s best retro-cool Jewish dance band. To the future of Jewish community life in Tulsa,

Oklahoma! 12

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SYNAGOGUE Altamont Bakery Fund

Lisa Lazarus Gale Mason Marcy and Dr. Bernard Robinowitz Mona Smith Sheryl and Harold Springer

Ann Beerman Flower and Garden Fund Judith and Jeremy Freedman Jan and Jerry Potash Joseph Secan

Lubell Social Activism Fund Gale Mason

Mizel Family Philanthropic Fund Morris and Toby Fell Landscaping Fund

Sharna Frank Music Fund

Toby Fell

Julie Frank Sharla and Michael Pinn

Morris and Edith Sylvan Transportation Fund

Shirley Rabinovitz School Support Fund

B’nai Emunah Preschool

Norman and Shirley Levin Fund for Prayerbook Publication

B’nai Brith Youth Education Fund

Shirley and Willie Burger

Brian Sweet Memorial Multi-Media Fund Mona Smith

Chevra Kadisha Fund

Molly and Dr. Sheldon Berger Gale Mason Sheryl and Harold Springer

Dave Sylvan Joyful Music Fund Mona Smith

Davis-Goodall Chapel Fund Laurie and Bob Berman

Education Endowment Fund Sharla and Michael Pinn

Janis Bolusky Memorial Outreach Fund Gloria and Robert Joels Jennifer and Sam Joels

Scott Sanditen Memorial Community Service Fund

Elisabeth and Jeffrey Rambach Jean and Will Sanditen

Bikur Cholim Fund

Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation

Gale Mason

Susan and Jerry Sokol

Jan Brickman Isrella Taxon

Vicki and Dr. David Hurewitz

Sam Plost Matzah Fund

Vera Berlin

Sidney & Jenny Brouse Family Shabbat and Holiday Fund

Debbie and Mel Hallerman

Mona Smith Isrella Taxon

Rabbi Daniel S. Kaiman Discretionary Fund

Stuart and Sherri Goodall/ Blanc Art Education Fund

Julie Frank Mark Goldman and Dr. W.C. Goad Fred Strauss Latona and Ron Willhoite

Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman Discretionary Fund

Renee Billings Jackie Cohen The Family of Milt Wolff Frances Jacobson and Ada Middlebrook Stephanie and Dr. Stan Pastor Elisabeth and Jeffrey Rambach Phyllis Raskin Fred Strauss Barbara and Dave Sylvan Drs. Melissa and Mark Weiss Latona and Ron Willhoite

Robinowitz Library Fund

Marcy and Dr. Bernard Robinowitz

Rose Borg Sukkah Fund April and Richard Borg Rosalyn Borg (St. Louis)

Stuart and Sherri Goodall

Synagogue General Fund

Ellen and Dr. Stephen Adelson Laurie and Bob Berman O’Neil Cobb Paul Charters Toby Fell Irene and Irving Fenster Jennifer Flexner Mark Goldman and Dr. W.C. Goad Jeff Krigel Janet and Ken Levit Cheryl and Haran Levy Esther Pastor Jane Mudgett and Sam Peled Mara and Jeremy Rabinowitz Lillian and Bernard Roberts Miriam and Jeff Sadow Robert Saizow Irene Silberg Gary Starkman Wendy Weisberg Latona and Ron Willhoite Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SYNAGOGUE The Religious School Fund Shirley and Willie Burger Joan Green Nikki and Dr. Stephen Sack Kym and Ken Watt

In Loving Memory

Jacob Arama Miriam Arama Dwight Axelrod Ann Beerman Herbert and Lila Berger Gary Berman Mary and Irv Berman Etta Waldinger Borg Harold Charney Sam Deaktor Alvin Dundee Rebecca Fenster Carl Fischbein Alvin Glass Myra Gock

Curtis Green Lottie Gussman Leo Hurewitz Sylvia Jacobson Sam Joels, Sr. Rachel Leuchter Brenda Magoon Barbara Milsten Isadore Nadel Betty Newman Ruth Olltarsh Esther Pastor Nancy Polishuk Barbara Rambach Sol Robinowitz Anna Shapiro Max Springer Gary Starkman Selma Strauss Philip Trommer Norman Tugenberg

Maurice Weinstein Milt Wolff Sol Wolff

In Honor Of

Cantor Rafi Dworsky Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman Rachel Gold and Rabbi Dan Kaiman Rabbi Dan Kaiman, on his appointment as Associate Rabbi Klay Kodesh Betty Lehman Staff of Congregation Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nai Emunah The Van Hanken Family Henry Watt Jonah Sage Welland

Speedy Recovery Of Jonathan Jeffy Mrs. Linda Margolis

INSTITUTE OF ADULT JEWISH STUDIES November 7 to December 12 All Classes Begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center

Please call (918) 495-1111 for more information. Seventeenth Street Deli | Eat Kosher at the Synagogue!

november | tishray-heshvan Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

1:00 PM Altamont Baking 5:30 PM Evening Service

Wednesday

9:00 AM Altamont Packing 3:30 PM Hebrew School 5:30 PM Evening Service 7:00 PM Midrasha

Thursday

5:30 PM Evening Service

Friday

5:30 PM Evening Service 6:00 PM Bibi-Dibi 6:04 PM Candlelighting

Saturday

9:00 AM Shabbat Service 6:30 PM Closing Service 6:45 PM Havdallah

Torah: Noah

9:00 AM Religious School 10:00 AM Sisterhood Membership Brunch 5:30 PM Evening Service

5:30 PM Evening Service 7:00 PM Adult Institute at JCC

1:00 PM Altamont Baking 5:30 PM Evening Service 7:00 PM Board of Directors

Daylight Savings Time Ends

9:00 AM Religious School 11:00 AM Doing Jewish: Grief and Mourning 5:30 PM Evening Service

9:00 AM Altamont Packing 3:30 PM Hebrew School 5:30 PM Evening Service 7:00 PM Midrasha

5:30 PM Evening Service

4:58 PM Candlelighting 5:30 PM Evening Service

Election Day

5:30 PM Evening Service 7:00 PM Adult Institute at JCC

1:00 PM Altamont Baking 5:30 PM Evening Service

9:00 AM Shabbat Service 4:15 PM Bat Mitzvah of Julia Butkin 5:40 PM Havdallah

Torah: Lech-Lecha

9:00 AM Altamont Packing 3:30 PM Hebrew School 5:30 PM Evening Service 7:00 PM Midrasha

5:30 PM Evening Service

4:54 PM Candlelighting 5:30 PM Evening Service 6:15 PM Shabbat Dinner 7:00 PM Shabbat for Everyone

9:00 AM Shabbat Service 5:20 PM Closing Service 5:35 PM Havdallah

Torah: Vayera

9:00 AM Religious School 5:30 PM Evening Service 6:00 PM 17th Street Deli 7:30 PM Noam Faingold: Four Songs for CBE

5:30 PM Evening Service

5:30 PM Evening Service 7:00 PM Adult Institute at JCC

1:00 PM Altamont Baking 5:30 PM Evening Service

9:00 AM Altamont Packing 5:30 PM Service

5:30 PM Evening Service

Thanksgiving Preschool and Offices Closed

5:30 PM Evening Service 7:00 PM Adult Institute at JCC

1:00 PM Altamont Baking 5:30 PM Evening Service

9:00 AM Altamont Packing 3:30 PM Hebrew School 5:30 PM Service 7:00 PM Midrasha

4:51 PM Candlelighting 5:30 PM Evening Service

Preschool and Offices Closed

9:00 AM Shabbat Service 5:15 PM Closing Service 5:30 PM Havdallah

Torah: Chayei Sarah

THE SYNAGOGUE

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

CONGREGATION B’NAI EMUNAH

PAID

Tulsa, Oklahoma Permit No. 587

1719 South Owasso Avenue Tulsa, Oklahoma 74120 P.O. Box 52430 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74152

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

YAHRTZEIT CALENDAR — 30 TISHRAY THROUGH 29 HESHVAN 5777 Tuesday, November 1 - 30, Tishray Sidney M. Brouse Ethel Fitzerman Joseph Kornfeld Harry “Babe” Magoon Rose Manes Edith Paru Wednesday, November 2 - 1, Heshvan Zoe Irwin Sam Zarrow Thursday, November 3 - 2, Heshvan Lilly Bernstein Edward Perry Brickman Arthur “Buddy” Kaplan Lillie Krisman Norman Landa Michael Roberts Charles Raymond West Friday, November 4 - 3, Heshvan Sylvia Henzel Isadore Nadel Yetta Seigel Saturday, November 5 - 4, Heshvan Florence Kornblum Benyamin Kreger Verna Lebow Hanna Saveth Sunday, November 6 - 5, Heshvan Phyllis H. Frey Benny W. Haskell Esther Lieberman Dr. Philip H. Miller Anna Shoubin Monday, November 7 - 6, Heshvan Saul Joe Glenn C.H. “Harry” Lebow Rebecca Schneider Rose Travis Irvine E. Ungerman

Tuesday, November 8 - 7, Heshvan Rose P. Alamar Nathan Apt Ethel Atkins Jan Baum Lance Michael Dubois Morris Dundee Sylvia Frank Sadie Gelfand Harold S. Keller Isaac Levin Harry Lewiskin Louis D. Toll Angelina Valarde Chaye H. Viner

Monday, November 14 - 13, Heshvan Lottie Jackson Toni Neuwald Leon Pastor Benjamin Ralph Poznik Molly Ratner Jean Shilder Louis R. Travis

Wednesday, November 9 - 8, Heshvan Clara Borochoff Silvan Levinson Lillian Rips Marjorie Singer

Wednesday, November 16 - 15, Heshvan Rose Brouse Gold Abraham Cash Jules Sanders Charles Richard Stidham, Sr. Jacob Tublin

Saturday, November 26 - 25, Heshvan Louis Blend Joel Lynd Dolores Nesbit Rosalyn W. Price Louis Secan

Thursday, November 17 - 16, Heshvan Gregory D. Renberg Mary Spears

Sunday, November 27 - 26, Heshvan Nathan Berelowitz Norita Wyse Berman William Cohen Ernest Henzel Etta Hersh Terry Hurst Marion Skuy Emma Sommerfeldt

Thursday, November 10 - 9, Heshvan Henry R. Dan Eddie Jacobson Fannie Skuy Anna Stein Friday, November 11 - 10, Heshvan Jack Gelfand Kate Kaiser Carl Sokolof Morris Sylvan Saturday, November 12 - 11, Heshvan Bessie Blend Bernard M. Bloch Carmen Breeding Ben Dritch Bernard Jeffy Arno Kahn Anna Kaiser Sunday, November 13 - 12, Heshvan Milton Morris Cohen Tyson Dines Sam Kaplan Helen Kirsh Bryne Leah Steinberg

Tuesday, November 15 - 14, Heshvan Rabbi Howard Rabinowitz Joseph Satin Joseph Shwatshkin Marshall Steinberg William Ungerman

Friday, November 18 - 17, Heshvan Michael Frank Taube Yekusiel Globe Sara Lichtman Robison Jacob Sylvan Saturday, November 19 - 18, Heshvan Jessie Finston Bernard Storch William Weise Sunday, November 20 - 19, Heshvan Sara Kahan Gussie Moskowitz Dr. Jerry Plost Elizabeth Sollosy Monday, November 21 - 20, Heshvan Daniel Bennett Cohen Deanna Dinar Fannie Heyman Bebe Kantor Sol Shalom Morris B. Taubman Tuesday, November 22 - 21, Heshvan Ann Beerman Mordechai Fell Corry Weston

Wednesday, November 23 - 22, Heshvan Ronna Taxon Einhorn Florence Katz Jennie Sarah Leff Shlomo B. Paru Ida Pertofsky Thursday, November 24 - 23, Heshvan Abraham Gordon Alexander Haas Friday, November 25 - 24, Heshvan Sandi Arbital Doris Wain Lenske Dorothy Miller

Monday, November 28 - 27, Heshvan Michael Polay Tuesday, November 29 - 28, Heshvan Kenneth Brown Ida Dundee Collins Geraldine E. Glass Haym Dov Glenn Leah Glenn Reta Gold Julius Jacobson Leo Lederman Nathan A. Rubin Dexter Stein Wednesday, November 30 - 29, Heshvan Irving Cohen Fannie Cohen Betty Frey Mildred Goltz Marjorie Rubin

May their souls be bound up in the bond of life everlasting. Please note that each yahrtzeit begins at sunset on the day before the date listed.