CONGREGATION P’NAI TIKVAH
Kol Kiruv April 2015
Nisan-Iyar
Happenings
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Rabbi's Message
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Cantor’s Notes
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Community Seder
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Brunch with Brilliants
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May 30, 2015 Gala
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CPT Book Club
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Sabrina Linker’s Bat Mitzvah
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Jewlicious
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Kidz Korner
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Jewish Programming on PBS
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CPT Outreach
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Oneg Calendar
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Birthdays and Anniversaries
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Women’s Rosh Chodesh
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Yom HaShoah at CNT
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Yahrzeits
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Community Happenings
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Community Rewards Programs
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Nid’vei Leiv—From the Heart
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Contribution Form
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Calendar at a Glance
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Vol. 21—No. 10
Clergy and Staff Rabbi: Yocheved Mintz Cantor: Marla Goldberg Accompanist: Timothy Cooper Newsletter: Nancey Eason Educator: Rabbi Mintz , Cantor Marla Goldberg Bookkeeper: Lynn Pisetzner Office Administrator: Nancey Eason info@pnaitikvahlv.org www.facebook.com/pnaitikvahlv www.twitter.com/pnaitikvahlv
Because of Passover, there will be no Shabbat service April 3rd or Torah Study April 4th. Congregation P’nai Tikvah will worship on Shabbat, April 17th at Kraft-Sussman Chapel, in the Bank of Nevada Business Park at 3975 S. Durango, Suite 104, in Las Vegas. Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv services will begin at 7:30 PM. Tot Shabbat will be held at 6:30 p.m. Torah Study will take place at 10:00 AM on April 18h at Rabbi Mintz’s home. A bagels and lox brunch is served. Please RSVP by emailing info@pnaitikvahlv.org.
Rabbi’s Message to the Congregation Dear Chevreh: Once a Soviet citizen went to vote. He was given a sealed envelope and told to put it in the ballot box. "Could I possibly see for whom I am voting?" he asked timidly. "Of course not!" the official answered indignantly, “In the Soviet Union, we respect the secrecy of the ballot!” In Israel, elections are also secret, so, as I write this, a week before the Israeli elections, I certainly have no idea as to who will be the next Prime Minister of Israel; nor, frankly, could I tell you for whom I would vote, if I were an Israeli. Afterall, as I write this, it is still Adar, and everything is topsy-turvy...and we respect the secrecy of the ballot! So I’ve gotten away with one more joke, because this is Adar; but by the time you read this, we will be in the month of Nisan, and looking forward to Passover. Will the joy we were encouraged to increase in Adar remain in Nisan? Let me share an old story that my mother used to tell me. (I was reminded of the story this week by my colleague, Rabbi Michael Simon, a great storyteller.) Here’s the tale: Once there was a king who was regarded by all --especially by himself-- as being very wise. As a lark, he challenged his subjects to see if they could come up with a question to which he would not know the answer. But one man did step up and poised a question that, indeed, stumped the king. His question was: “What could make happy people stop to reflect on their joy, while also being able to make sad people happy?” Think about it. Re-read the question…and don’t feel bad if you’re stumped as well, after all, the wise king couldn’t answer it either. So the king, not wanting to admit defeat, immediately sent out his most trusted advisors to scour the kingdom to see if anyone could come up with an answer to the query.
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After traveling for several weeks to no avail, the advisors came to a small, remote village, and, although the villagers felt they couldn’t possibly figure out the answer, they directed the advisors that there was a very wise woman in that village who very well might know the answer. Sure enough, they found the woman working at a stall in the market place and asked her the question. “What could make happy people stop to reflect on their joy, while also being able to make sad people happy?” At first, the woman was stone silent. She didn’t respond. But just as the advisors were getting up to leave, giving up all hopes of ever finding the answer to the conundrum, the woman turned away and disappeared behind the blankets and curtains of the market stall. Within moments she returned, holding a small box, no larger than the palm of her hand. The advisors gathered ‘round the woman and looked at the box. Each one, one by one, lifted the lid, looked inside, and nodded that this was exactly what they had been seeking---the answer to the question. They rushed back to the palace with the box and announced to the king that they had found the answer to the question, and that the answer was right there in the box! The king looked quizzically at the box and laughed, saying: “How could the answer be in that small box?!” His advisors insisted that, indeed, the answer was in the box, so he took the box, and opened the lid. He looked inside, smiled, closed the box, and thanked his advisors for finding the answer to the question.
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Have you guessed what was inside the box? Any ideas? O.K., I’ll tell you. It was a simple bracelet….not one of diamonds or rubies, not one particularly worth much money. But it did have an inscription around the outside that had three Hebrew words, saying: “Gam zeh ya-avor,” which means “this, too, shall pass.” Think about it. It really does answer the question, and it also has to do with the hub-bub about the Israeli elections (and, I dare say, about our pending elections), and with what it really means to be joyful . It also has to do with our moments of sadness and depression. “This, too, shall pass.” As much as we want to savor our moments of joy, we know, realistically, that they a fleeting; and as much as we abhor the inevitable moments of pain and sadness in our lives, we need to remember that they, too, will pass. My mother (may her memory be for a blessing) was always quoting aphorisms, and, one of her favorites was: “Gam zeh ya-avor,” this, too shall pass. I must admit that that saying has been with me all my life, and, like so much of what my mother taught me, has proved to be true. May this new month of Nisan be one of peace and happiness for us here, in Israel, and throughout the world. “L’shanah ha-baah bi-Yerushalayim.” Next year in Jerusalem.* L’Shalom,
Rabbi Yocheved Mintz *Stay tuned for a very exciting announcement regarding a Community Trip to Israel in 2016!
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Cantor’s Notes
A Note From the Cantor. In this month, the month of Nisan, we celebrate Passover and commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. In Las Vegas we observe Yom HaShoah in prayer and song and we honor those survivors who are still with us. Two songs that are often sung come from the poems of a great woman, Hanah Szenes (Hanah Senesh). Composers have taken her words and created the songs Eli, Eli and Ashrei Hagafrur. Both are beautiful, both have great meaning. Hanah was born in 1921 in Hungary to assimilated Jewish parents. Her father, who died when she was 6, was a journalist. After his death she lived with her mother and brother. Hanah attended a private Protestant School for girls that also accepted Jews. The tuition for Jews at the school was triple the regular tuition, but Hanah’s mother was able to pay only double because Hanah was considered “gifted”. While not particularly religious, Hanah’s family became Zionists as they saw the situation for Jews in Europe was becoming strained. Hanah joined Maccabea, the Hungarian Zionist Youth organization. After graduating in 1939 she emigrated to what was then the British Mandate of Palestine and began studying at the Girls' Agricultural School at Nahalal. In the early 1940’s, she joined the Haganah, the paramilitary group that became the foundation of the Israel Defense Forces. Not long after, she became a paratrooper for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE).
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On March 14, 1944, she and colleagues parachuted into Yugoslavia and joined a partisan group. At the Hungarian border, she and her companions were arrested by Hungarian soldiers who found her British military transmitter, used to communicate with the SOE and other partisans. Hannah was taken to a prison where the guards wanted to know the code for her transmitter so they could find out who the parachutists were and trap others. Transferred to a Budapest prison, Hanah was interrogated and cruelly tortured, but she only revealed her name and refused to provide the transmitter code, even when her mother was also arrested. While in prison, Hanah would sing to keep the spirits up of herself and fellow prisoners. Even though she was tortured, she never gave up her mission, and never gave the guard the ‘code’. She was tried for treason on October 28, 1944, and executed on November 7, 1944 by a German firing squad. Her diary was found in her cell filled with her thoughts and poems. It included these lines: One - two - three... eight feet long Two strides across, the rest is dark... Life is a fleeting question mark One - two - three... maybe another week. Or the next month may still find me here, But death, I feel is very near. I could have been 23 next July I gambled on what mattered most, The dice were cast. I lost. Eli, Eli, music by David Zahavi comes from a longer poem Hanah wrote called Halikha LeKesariya (A Walk to Caesarea). Lawrence Avery composed the music to Ashrei Hagafrur (Blessed is the Match). Hanah was a brave young woman, who gave a legacy of beautiful words that will continue to give us hope, light and peace. L’Shalom, Cantor Marla Goldberg 6
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May 30, 2015 10 year Celebration Honoring
Rabbi Yocheved Mintz Spiritual Leader of Congregation P’nai Tikvah Buy Your Tickets Today! 9
WHO: WHEN: WHERE:
WHAT:
P’nai Tikvah Book Group 5775 is any CPT member April 30 @ 6:45 PM, The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult Home of Jane Kusel 702-407-5077 kuseld@yahoo.com An evening translated into a journeys of the senses through shared dissections of the readings below. *Limited to 12 voices-please RSVP in a timely fashion
Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day’s breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can’t. Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shame-ful secret and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well. With the integrity of the closest friend she’s ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and her family. In this searingly honest novel, Jodi Picoult gracefully explores the lengths to which we will go in order to keep the past from dictating the future.
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Jewlicious Learners Well, all year long, we have been studying a wonderful Hebrew story, Dirah L’Haskir, a story about an “apartment” to rent. The cast of characters include a very fat hen, a flighty cuckoo bird, a shiny black cat, a nut-cracking squirrel, and Mr. Mouse, as residents of the apartment house. When Mr. Mouse leaves the apartment, his neighbors put the apartment up for rent. The story then retells how one after another, an ant, a bunny, a pig, and a nightingale come, check out the flat, and find something wrong---not with the apartment, but with the other residents of the building. When a dove finally comes, we find someone who finds goodness in all the neighbors and brings peace to the building.
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Our older children have spent months translating the story (and getting skilled at learning how to use the dictionary). Our younger children have become familiar with the characters and what they ask the visitors. All our students understand the moral of the story, to look for goodness in one another and not be mean to one another. This month, along with getting ready for Passover, continuing to journey through the siddur, and adding to our reading skills, we will begin preparing the story for video-filming, so we can present it as our culminating presentation at services, June 5th. Please be sure to be with us that Shabbat; it’ll be such a treat!
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KIDZ KORNER for April
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JEWISH PROGRAMS OF INTEREST ON PBS Through the generous support of an anonymous donor our Jewish Federation will once again sponsor several Jewish interest programs on Vegas PBS throughout the month of April. The program schedule includes:
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The Story of the Jews with Simon Schama Celebration of Pesach Through Music Death Camp Treblinka Escape from a Nazi Death Camp Great Performances: Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy Independent Lens: Little White Lie Jewish Journey: America Making Light in Terezin NOVA: The Bible’s Buried Secrets Shalom Sesame: It’s Passover, Grover!
These programs will be broadcast multiple times on Vegas PBS Channel 10; Vegas PBS Cox Cable 110 and Vegas PBS Jackpot! Cox Cable 111. Please consult your TV guide for broadcast dates and times of these programs.
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The Membership/Outreach Committee is embarking on an effort to let us get to know one another better. Each month they will be asking questions of a member and sharing their responses n the newsletter. This month they interviewed Jacqueline Ackerman
Why Do You Love This Community? I joined CPT nine years ago after getting tired of feeling anonymous and left out in a large temple. I was drawn to the warmth and caring of its members and Rabbi, its down to earth vibe and the ease of getting involved. I love our twice a month Torah study and our monthly Rosh Chodesh get-together, along with our Holiday celebrations. This is my extended family! How Are You Involved in Congregation P’nai Tikvah? I have served on the Board of Directors of CPT for many years and have had the privilege of serving as Vice President for the last two years. Most recently, I chaired the Barbara Holland Roast, which provided much needed funds to support our programming and operations.
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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 the Oneg Shabbat is a lovely way to share joy of Shabbat with the community. Any reason is a good reason to sponsor 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. We welcome you to sign up to provide a simple buffet to be enjoyed by all. Feeding others is a nourishing experience in so many ways! Foods to consider: Easily served finger foods such as: cheese/crackers, hummus/pita, nuts, raw veggies, cookies, wasabi peas, pretzels, chips, spreads/crackers, dried fruits, fresh fruit (cut up). Judging quantities: Remember, the Oneg is just a nosh, not a meal! We tend to average about 65 people at services. Set up: We have access to the space at Kraft-Sussman starting at about 1/2 hour before services. Two 6-foot tables will be set up for the oneg.
Sponsored by Ken and Evelyn Clark April 17 in honor of Carly’s Birthday Catered by Sponsored by Roz Tessler and Harriet Bernstein May 1
in memory of Jerry Bernstein Catered by Sponsored and Catered by Sam Lieberman &
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also by Phyllistan’s in honor of Stan’s 68th Birthday and their 43rd Wedding Anniversary
June 5
June 19
Sponsored by Marian Baum in honor of 75th Birthday Catered by Sponsored by Catered by Hariet Miller
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Eleni Rush-Giannopoulos Gail Hansen Kristen Jaeger Myra Berknovits Roz Tessler Laurie Lytel Sam Lieberman Fern Kosh Sabrina Linker
Kristen Jaeger & Tim Lockett Dale & Vince Gardner
Jewlicious Learners Classes continue on Monday afternoons at the Rabbi’s home, from 4:15
6-Apr 9-Apr 10-Apr 10-Apr 13-Apr 15-Apr 16-Apr 23-Apr 28-Apr
2-Apr 24-Apr
To have a “Chai Contributions”…to life! sent out, please contact the office at 4364900, or so indicate on your Mitzvah envelope. Mitzvah Funds and Tribute Card funds are used to help maintain and grow the vital programs and services of Congregation P’nai Tikvah.
to 6:00, January– June. Registration continues to be open.
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.
Happiness is a choice, a habit, a desire... You are as young and successful, as you think you are. Enjoy yourself. Have fun. Omit things you will regret. Imagine what you want to do next... For $40.00 a prayer book can either be purchased for personal use or be dedicated to the congregation “In Memory” or “In Honor of” and a card from CPT will be sent to the family. The prayer book plate will be placed on the inside cover of our new Kol HaNeshamah siddur. 18
Were you at the Women’s Spirituality Day? Did you see the Mikveh Monologues? Was that amazing. How blessed are we to belong to such an enriching and delightful Jewish community. Please join us on April 19 at the home of Dale Gardner. RSVP to Dale at cabinutsky@aol.com Upcoming Rosh Chodesh Dates for 5775 Iyar
April 19th
Host: Dale Gardner
Sivan
May 17th
Host: Jennifer Cohen
Tammuz
June 14th
Host: Rabbi Yocheved Mintz
Keep a lookout for our Women’s Rosh Chodesh Retreat In August 2015 Pictures from “The Real Women of the Bible”, 2014 Women's Rosh Chodesh Retreat
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Irwin Berger -Remembered by Laura & Wendy Kraft Sussman David Bernstein -Remembered by Harriet Bernstein Sheldon Elliot -Remembered by Rachel Piekarsky Edward Fox -Remembered by Marc Fox Pearl Hewel -Remembered by Jackie Ackerman & Family Don Kusel -Remembered by Jane Kusel
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 Sorrow comes to all‌ Perfect relief is not possible, except with time. You can not now realize that you will ever feel better...and yet‌ You are sure to be happy again Abraham Lincoln Submitted by Phyllis Zuckerman
Jerry Lytel -Remembered by Laurie Lytel Abraham Platt -Remembered by Zandra Bender Gertrude Rose -Remembered by Stanley Rose Lee Burger Shilepsky -Remembered by Ann Brandt Helene Sussman -Remembered by Laura Sussman
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There are two important programs designed to help individuals and families in need that are supported by the Jewish Federation and Jewish Family Service Agency. 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 Elliot Karp at Elliot@jewishlasvegas.com or 702-732-0556.
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You’ll start earning rewards for Congregation P’Nai Tikvah right away on qualifying purchases made using your Smith’s and Vons rewards Card! Smith's and Von's are committed to helping our communities grow and prosper. Year after year, local schools, churches and other nonprofit organizations will earn millions of dollars through these kinds of programs. There is no cost to enroll, and enrollment will not affect your fuel points or coupon discounts. Here are the instructions for getting started. We will also have a place for your to sign up at the Community Passover Seder at the Blasco Event Wing of UNLV Foundation Bldg. Bring your Smith's and Von's card numbers and we will do the signing up for you. OUR SMITH"S NPO NUMBER IS 61229.
TO USE THE SMITH’S COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM: Register online at www.smithscommunityrewards.com · Customers must have a registered Smith’s rewards card account to link to your organization. · If you does not yet have a Smith’s rewards card, they are available at the customer service desk at any Smith’s. · Click on 'Create and Account' box · Sign up for a Smith’s Rewards Account entering your email address and creating a password, by entering zip code, clicking on favorite store, agreeing to the terms and conditions. · A message will show up for you to check your email inbox and then click on the link within the body of the email. · Click on “My Account” and use your email address and password to proceed to the next step. · Click on Edit Smith’s Community Rewards information and input your Smith’s rewards card number. · Update or confirm your information. · Enter NPO number or name of organization, select organization from list and click on confirm. · To verify you are enrolled correctly, you will see your organization’s name on the right side of your information page. · Do you use your phone number at the register? Call 800-576-4377, select option 4 to get your Smith’s rewards card number. · Members must swipe their registered Smith’s rewards card or use the phone number that is related to their registered Smith’s rewards card when shopping for each purchase to count.
TO USE THE VON'S ESCRIP PROGRAM Click on this link: https://secure.escrip.com/supporter/ registration/index.jsp Fill out the questionnaire. If you do not know your Von's Reward Card Number call: 1.877.723.3929 and they can assist you in retrieving that information.
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Nid’vei Leiv - Donations from the Heart Rabbi Discretionary Fund David Aris Stanley & Sondra Rose Adrianne Shaw Rubin In blessed memory In honor of Fred Halperin from Ellen Royer In memory of Ethel Kuklin by Charlotte Kuklin In memory of Louis Tessler from Harriet Bernstein In memory of Louis Tessler from Roz Tessler In honor of the engagement of Debbie Eidelman and Benjamin Wilreker Nancey Eason In honor of Rabbi Mintz’s Decade of Service to Congregation P’nai Tikvah Rachel Brachfeld Mark Novak In honor of Torah Study Eileen Ancman David Aris Ann Castro Annie Wolff
We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it
Nid’vei Lev Rick and Susan Bindhamer Shirley Davidson 1/2 Shekel-Nancey Eason Linda Kauffman Cary and Lance Carolyn Stewart
and nurture it. John Lennon
Refuah Shleimah Lucia Naschel from Nancey Eason Rav Yisrael Yitzhak ben Chanah from Naftalah Chavah Ariel
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April 1 April 3 April 4 April 6 April 7 April 9 April 12 April 13 April 17 April 18 April 19 April 19 April 20 April 21 April 26 April 26 April 27 April 29 April 30 May 1 May 2 May 3 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 5
CALENDAR AT A GLANCE: 6:30 PM Biblical Hebrew Pesach - No Tot Shabbat or service. Enjoy your 1st Night Seder Congregation P'nai Tikvah Community 2nd Night Seder at UNLV Blasco Wing of the Foundation Building LBGTQI Seder at The Center 6:30 PM Jewish, Alive and American 7:00 PM CPT Board Meeting 4:30 PM Yom Hashoah / Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration and Memorial Program at Congregation Ner Tamid 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning 7:30 PM- Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv service at Kraft-Sussman Chapel Torah Study: Par'shat Shmini at the Rabbi's home 5:00 PM Yom Hazikaron Community Observance 7:00 PM Women’s Rosh Chodesh at the home of Dale Gardner 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning 6:30 PM Jewish, Alive and American 11:30 PM Brunch with Brilliants featuring Roberta Sabbath 3:30 PM Chai Mitzvah at the home of Iris Katz 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning 8:00 AM JNF Love of Israel Breakfast at Adelson Educational Campus 7:00 PM CPT Book Club discusses “The Storyteller” at the home of Jane Kusel 6:30 PM Tot Shabbat, Kabbalat and Ma’ariv Service-Kraft Sussman Chapel 10:00 AM Torah Study-Par’shat Achrei Mot-Kedoshim at the Home of Rabbi Mintz 11:00 AM King David—Genizah 3:30 PM Chai Mitzvah with Nancey-location TBD 4:15 PM Jewlicious Learning 6:30 PM Jewish, Alive and American 7:00 PM CUFI Night to Honor Israel at Word of Life Christian Center
Blessing for the month of Nisan: May we be blessed with the ability to clean the chametz from our homes and from our hearts, to fully experience this season of our liberation, and to begin again the step-by-step ascent towards our personal ability to receive Torah. 29