Messenger May 2016

MESSENGER

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volume

FROMB’NAI THE RABBI HIGHLIGHTS THECALENDAR SYNAGOGUE | CONGREGATION EMUNAH | TULSA | MAY 2016 | NO. 5

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THERE’S STILL TIME TO RESERVE A SPOT FOR THE TOURO BANQUET | SEE PAGE 8

PERSONALS

MASTHEAD

BIRTHS

THE MESSENGER

Elia Ruth Liff, born to Dr. David and Mary Liff of Tulsa.

Paternal grandparents are Debbie and Barry Liff of Cleveland, Ohio.

May 2016 - Published Monthly

CONGREGATION B’NAI EMUNAH

Jonah Sage Welland, born to Rachel and Adam Welland of San Diego, brother of Eliana, grandparents Shirley and Willie Burger of Tulsa. Extended Tulsa family includes Phillip, Holly, Magnolia and Kirby Burger; Janet Dundee and Jeff Darby; and Sabrina Darby.

1719 South Owasso Tulsa, Oklahoma 74120 Office: (918) 583‑7121 School: (918) 585‑KIDS Fax: (918) 747-9696 Website: www.tulsagogue.com How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news. (Isaiah 52:7)

DEATHS

CENTENNIAL NOTES

Alexis Torianyk Father of Eric Torianyk

YOUR HELP NEEDED

Norma Rubenstein Mother of Raeshelle Sharpnack

If you’ve been a member of the Synagogue fifty years or more and missed Milestone Shabbat, not to worry! We have beautiful artisan-crafted tzedakah boxes for all who did not attend. We will be distributing them in the course of our Centennial Year at signature events. Please call Gwenn or Caroline at the Synagogue to put your name on the list.

Carolyn Sue Meadows Kahn Sister of Carol Owen Meadows Sylvia Oberstein Mother of Paula Holzband, David Oberstein and Donna Oberstein UNVEILINGS An unveiling in memory of the late Jeanette Altman Frieden will take place on Sunday, June 5, at 11:00 a.m. at Rose Hill Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to attend.

MAZAL TOVS Congratulations to Stacy Schusterman on being honored

by City Year Tulsa at the 2016 Women’s Leadership Luncheon held in April. The event recognized Stacy’s contributions to one of America’s premier social service agencies. Tulsa School Superintendent Deborah Gist gave the keynote address.

Mazal tov to Nina Fitzerman-Blue and Dan Sterba on their recent engagement. Nina is the daughter of Rabbi Marc Fitzerman and Alice Blue. Dan is the son of Dr. Wayne Sterba and the late Mary Parr Sterba.

ON THE COVER The stained glass windows in the Synagogue Sanctuary were an odd choice for a once-Orthodox synagogue. They confound old ideas about representational art, but they are also in keeping with the zoological figures common in pre-war European synagogues. The oddest window of all depicts a unicorn, included in the inventory of emblems associated with the twelve tribes.

Where does it come from? A mistranslation of the King James Bible which renders the Hebrew word re’em as “unicorn” instead of “wild ox.”

Mazal tov to Klara and John Bode on the recent bat mitzvah of their granddaughter Luci Bode. Luci is the daughter of Brian Bode and Brenda Harvey and the step-daughter of Erin Bode. The celebration took place in April at Temple Israel.

BIBI-DIBI AT B’NAI EMUNAH Friday, May 6, at 6:00 p.m.

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THE SYNAGOGUE ARCHIVE

This blurry photograph from 1910 is the earliest photo we have in our archive of Varklan, the ancestral village of many of our pioneer members. First-generation Jewish settlement in Tulsa was a complicated affair; while the lion’s share of immigrants had their roots in Varklan and close-by villages in Latvia, there were notable immigrants from Lithuania and Western Europe. Much work remains to be done on this issue and many others. What was distinctively Latvian about B’nai Emunah in the first half of its history? What was the relationship between Eastern and Western European Jews? One thing is clear: when the first settlers reached out for rabbinic leadership before the official founding of the Synagogue, they chose Rabbi I. Kuperstein, a member of the Latvian Diaspora, then living in South Africa.

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THE MAY CALENDAR AT B’NAI EMUNAH 3

end and connect with family and friends. Join us as we salute Moreh Danny Kraft for his important service to our community. No reservation is needed for the service at 7:00 p.m., but please contact us by Wednesday, May 18, to guarantee your place for the dinner, which begins at 6:15 p.m.

SMART CONVERSATIONS

All are invited to take part in this public conversation with a panel discussion followed by breakout conversations. Panelists include Rev. Ray Owens, faculty member of Phillips Theological Seminary and pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church; Felicia Correia, former Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Tulsa and DVIS/Call Rape; GT Bynum, Tulsa City Councilor for District 9; and Micah Cash, graduating senior from Booker T. Washington High School. The event will be moderated by Dr. Elana Newman. Please see our Featured Events section for more information.

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Honoring all past presidents of the congregation of the last 50 years, the Touro Banquet and Annual General Meeting is scheduled for May 22. The highlight of the evening will be a performance of “Minutes,” a staged reading from the chronicles of B’nai Emunah. Look for highlights, low spots, and moments of genuine emotion—all of this, and a tribute to our living presidents. See our Featured Events article for more information about this evening of celebration.

BIBI-DIBI

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 under way at 6:00 p.m. To RSVP, visit our website or contact the Synagogue Office.

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PRESCHOOL GRADUATION

The Synagogue takes great pride in the work of our preschool. School Director Shelli Wright and her staff have created a vibrant learning environment that is looked upon as one of the premier learning institutions in the city. Members of the community are invited to attend a graduation ceremony for our students who will continue their education in kindergartens across Tulsa next year. The ceremony will take place at 10:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary.

SEVENTEENTH STREET DELI

Our own pop-up 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. Fulfill the nostalgic longing of the Jewish people over a deli dinner.

It’s a modern take on a cultural classic. While we are already at capacity for the May evening, visit tulsadeli.org today to reserve spots for June, July and beyond.

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CENTENNIAL TOURO BANQUET

JUNE AT A GLANCE

BAR MITZVAH OF ITAMAR A. WEST

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BIBI-DIBI: BABIES AND BLESSINGS

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BAR MITZVAH OF JESSE SCHUMANN

We’re happy to announce the upcoming bar mitzvah of Itamar Achiasaf West, son of Ben West and Shiri Achiasaf West. The services will begin at 9:00 a.m. As always, everyone in the congregation is invited to attend each ceremony.

Here’s to a joyous celebration for us all!

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UNVEILING: JEANETTE FRIEDEN

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SEVENTEENTH STREET DELI

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SHABBAT FOR EVERYONE

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EREV SHAVU’OT

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BAT MITZVAH OF HANNAH WOODS

SHABBAT FOR EVERYONE | GRADUATION

This year’s school-end festivities will be marked with a special Shabbat service honoring graduates, students, and faculty. Services will be led by Klay Kodesh, our instrumental and vocal ensemble. It’s the perfect way to enter the week4

FROM RABBI MARC BOONE FITZERMAN

SISTERHOOD ties like ours, having been born in Youngstown and raised in Orlando. She values the intimacy and mutual supportiveness she has seen in us, and we believe that she will be a natural fit, for both students and adults.

DANNY KRAFT AND SARA LEVITT As our school year comes to a close, I have the privilege of thanking Danny Kraft for a job well done. As many of you know, Danny agreed to join us as our Interim Director of Education in Spring 2015. He had just completed his stint in the Tulsa Public Schools as a Teacher for America, and he was ready to take the next step in educational leadership. He came to us as an experienced classroom teacher, with thoughtful observations about educational theory and practice.

In keeping with her background and native gifts, Sara will have a hand both in educational work and programming. She has just closed out her work Community Engagement Director in Denver, a post uniquely appropriate to outreach and recruitment work in Tulsa. She will have primary responsibility for our programs of formal education and serve with Rabbi Kaiman and me as a member of our programming staff.

Like many staffers in the Tulsa iteration of Teach for America, Danny was already engaged in the life of the Synagogue, with deep connections to our members and the Synagogue staff. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Teach for America has changed the tone and direction of Jewish life in Tulsa by bringing smart, interesting young Jews to the city for two years and more of selfless service.

We also look forward to seeing a substantial public role for Sara at B’nai Emunah that allows rich expression of her musical talents. During her interview, she led a charming singalong session with our elementary school students, and the experience left a strong and positive impression.

In the months ahead, we’ll have more to say about Sara and Matt, along with ways that many of us can participate in welcoming them to our community. We’ve arranged the schedule so that Danny and Sara have plenty of overlap, with time to consult and plan for the coming year.

In that sense, Danny fulfilled all of our expectations. He came to us beautifully educated, both in Jewish studies and the liberal arts. He treated our students with gentle understanding and assembled a faculty with real talent. He understood the necessary balance between experiential and academic learning, and worked hard to upgrade Hebrew instruction in our school.

Sara will also spend time at camp this summer, meeting many of our kids and building relationships for the 2016-17 school year. We’re looking forward to great things, and hope that you share in the optimism and confidence she has already evoked in members of our congregation who have met and recommended her for this new position.

Danny is a clear and expressive writer, and he will conclude his work at B’nai Emunah crafting Centennial Year biographies of the seven rabbis who have served B’nai Emunah since 1916.

His next stop is the Harvard Divinity School, the program that trains religious thinkers across the spectrum of religious affiliation, Jews and other minority faiths included. Along with all of you, I will miss Danny greatly, but hope to keep our relationship with him alive over the coming years.

In the meantime, I am grateful to note that we have recruited an able professional who will arrive next month and take up her position in earnest in early July. Her name is Sara Levitt, and she will carry the title Director of Jewish Life and Learning, a first for our congregation. The daughter of a long-time synagogue professional, Sara has built a career in programming and youth work, first in Chicago at Congregation Beth Shalom, and then at the Jewish Community Center in Denver.

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

www.tulsagogue.com You’ll find a useful calendar and many other helpful features, including a growing collection of liturgical music from the two albums we have published as part of our Centennial Year.

Sara graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in Jewish Studies, Hebrew, and Sociology and went on to earn an MSW in Denver. She was recommended to us by our colleague and friend, Rabbi Eliav Bock, the Director of Camp Ramah in the Rockies. Both Sara and her husband Matt have served on the professional staff of the camp, with Matt working full time as Business Director. Sara and Matt met at Hillel at Indiana University, where they shared a love for Jewish community building and Israel. Like Rabbi Kaiman, Sara has an intuitive understanding of life in Jewish communi5

FROM JANET DUNDEE

BAR MITZVAH

UPCOMING (CONCLUDED)

KUM ESSEN V COOKBOOK SALE

ITAMAR ACHIASAF WEST

The latest edition of the Sisterhood cookbook, Kum Essen V, is available for purchase at the Synagogue. A single copy is $36, with a check made payable to B’nai Emunah Sisterhood. We would also be glad to accept a cash payment.

Over 500 recipes for all sorts of occasions are in the cookbook, along with Well Wisher Dedications, special Dedications for the Covers, and the Divider Tabs.

Interesting anecdotal stories about the history of Sisterhood and the Synagogue are spaced throughout the cookbook, as well as photography of the building.

Proceeds from the sale of Kum Essen V will provide funding to assist members with programming fees at the Synagogue, as well as help to fund Sisterhood events. Any questions about the cookbook can be directed to Carol Mandlebaum or Janet Dundee.

HELPING TO FEED HUNGRY PEOPLE Itamar Achiasaf West, son of Benjamin and Shiri West, will celebrate his bar mitzvah at Congregation B’nai Emunah on May 14, 2016.

Just a reminder: Sarah-Anne Schumann has arranged for Sisterhood members to serve breakfast at Iron Gate on a number of upcoming Sunday mornings.

Itamar arrived from Israel with his parents. The Wests came for his mother Shiri’s work, which was to be the Jewish Agency Shlicha (Israel emissary) for the Tulsa Jewish community.

Itamar has grown up here. His unique personality reflects the fact that he was born in Canada, spent his first years in Israel (with frequent visits to Canada), and has now been living in America for almost 3 years. All of this has made him a young man influenced by many cultures.

Dates available are May 8 (Mother’s Day), June 26, August 28 and October 30. You would need to be at Iron Gate from 7:50 to 10:30 a.m. Iron Gate is located at Trinity Episcopal Church, 501 South Cincinnati.

If you are interested in helping out on this project, please contact Sarah-Anne at hennschu@gmail.com.

ANNUAL DINNER AT LIVING KITCHEN FARM

Itamar loves to play baseball and tennis. He likes skiing and loves to read in both Hebrew and English. He is a very social person, and enjoys spending lots of time with his friends in the Jewish community, as well as friends from Thoreau, where he goes to school. Itamar loves animals (including his dog and cat) and he will be volunteering for the LaFortune animal shelter during this coming summer. He also attends Green Family Summer Camp in Texas, and it has become a huge part of his social and Jewish life.

Once again, Sisterhood is sponsoring an opportunity to share a meal at Living Kitchen Farm in Depew. Save the date of Sunday evening, September 11, to enjoy this absolutely wonderful multi-course vegetarian meal.

Spaces are limited. It would be advantageous to contact Sarah-Anne Schumann as soon as possible to reserve your place at the table.

The meal will cost $85 plus tax; contact Sarah-Anne at hennschu@gmail.com. .

But most of all, Itamar loves people. Simple interaction with them seems to be one of his great strengths. He listens and he shares. He cares deeply and he opens his heart, especially when it concerns those who are forgotten by others. Itamar’s family looks forward to his celebration and hopes that you will join them in a Klay Kodesh Shabbat sing-along following a bar mitzvah luncheon.

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO ART FROM THE HEART BY DROPPING OFF FRAMED WORKS AT THE SYNAGOGUE.

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FEATURED EVENTS AT THE SYNAGOGUE All of this will be celebrated in May at Congregation B’nai Emunah’s 2016 Touro Awards Banquet. Named for American philanthropist Judah Touro, the event will honor the twenty-one presidents who have served the Synagogue since 1966, the last time the congregation officially saluted its highest office-holders. Scheduled for Sunday, May 22, at 6:00 p.m. the event will begin with a dinner by noted restauranteur James Schrader of the Palace Café, and include photographic glimpses from the lives of the Synagogue’s leaders. The highlight of the evening will be an ensemble theater piece entitled “Minutes,” featuring some of the thrilling gains and poignant losses of a congregation navigating the second half of the twentieth century and beyond.

SMART CONVERSATIONS ON MAY 3 Once in a great while, an essential book goes beyond normal borders to set new parameters for public discussion. One of those books is Between the World and Me, the newest work by Ta-Nehisi Coates, a senior editor for The Atlantic Monthly magazine, and an acute observer of culture in America.

Written in the form of a letter to his adolescent son, the book carefully, passionately describes what it is to be black in America in the era of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner.

Coates describes a world in which young black men of great promise and ambition must nevertheless learn to negotiate the dangers of the street and, at the same time, assert themselves against institutionalized racism. Coates reminds us that years after the era of Civil Rights, America remains a maze of impediments and frustrations to those who stand outside white majority culture. The book has been much honored since its publication and won the National Book Award in 2015.

Honorees at the banquet include Curtis Green, Howard Alexander, Dr. Marcel Binstock, David Charney, Brian Brouse, Jack Zanerhaft, Stacy Schusterman, Tom Adelson, Dr. Jamie Cash, Dr. Leor Roubein, Jolene Sanditen Stephens, and Craig Silberg. The legacies of Dr. Manuel Brown, A.H. Eichenberg, Charles Jacobs, Ed Cohen, Joseph Pertofsky, Charles Goodall, Ron Kriegsman, Sidney Brouse, and Scott Foreman Zarrow (all of blessed memory) will also be honored.

Congregation B’nai Emunah will address the issues Coates poses in a public conversation on Between the World and Me on the evening of Tuesday, May 3, at 7:00 p.m. The event will feature a panel presentation followed by round-table discussions designed to bring together citizens from all parts of the Tulsa community. Panelists will include Rev. Ray Owens, faculty member of Phillips Theological Seminary and pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church; Felicia Correia, former Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Tulsa and DVIS/Call Rape; GT Bynum, Tulsa City Councilor for District 9; and Micah Cash, graduating senior from Booker T. Washington High School. The event will be moderated by Dr. Elana Newman, R.M. McFarlin Professor of Psychology at The University of Tulsa.

Chaired by Molly Berger and Terry Marcum, this year’s banquet is an official Centennial Event, part of the congregation’s year-long celebration of its hundredth anniversary. Every month since October, 2015, B’nai Emunah has celebrated its founders, looked closely at its early history, published new volumes of commemoration, and added to its culinary legacy. The program will continue throughout the summer and fall with archival exhibitions, a commissioned song cycle, multi-media installations, and the publication of the Synagogue’s liturgical innovations, and then culminate in a congregational gala on December 11, 2016. Along the way, B’nai Emunah will share a book of personal essays on the meaning of Jewish life in Tulsa, the experience of bar and bat mitzvah at the Synagogue, and a large-scale Lego model of the Synagogue.

This edition of Smart Conversations is part of an ongoing series of broadcasts, lectures, and public discussion, and will take place at The Synagogue at the corner of Seventeenth Street and Peoria. Attendees are encouraged to read Between the World and Me before May 3, and may order copies online, at our local Barnes and Noble, or through the Synagogue Office by calling (918) 583-7121. This event is free and open to the public, and no advance reservations are necessary.

Current President Craig Silberg and Immediate PastPresident Jolene Sanditen-Stephens have undertaken the fundraising portfolio for the centennial Touro Banquet. (continued on page 8)

TOURO BANQUET ON SUNDAY, MAY 22

NEXT SHABBAT FOR EVERYONE

Fifty years of volunteer leadership. The challenging work of building a congregation. Men and women who have risen to the occasion.

ON FRIDAY, MAY 20. PLEASE JOIN US AS WE HONOR DANNY KRAFT.

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FEATURED EVENTS AT THE SYNAGOGUE [PART 2] (continued from page 7)

“We hope that people will honor their family members and friends,” Craig said. “Our centennial year is a good time to strengthen all of Jewish life in Tulsa.”

Judah Touro, himself, was a rare combination of devotion to the cause of early American Jews and broad-minded concern for the community at large. To this day, many public institutions in New Orleans bear his name and the imprint of his philanthropy. His unselfish giving continues to inspire and challenge us long after the century in which he lived.

Banquet reservations can be made by calling the Synagogue Hotline at (918) 935-3373 or returning the reservation card sent to the entire community. Guests may also go online to make their plans at www.tulsagogue.com. Those who would like to share each other’s company at a banquet table are invited to express their preferences soon.

Volunteer chairs of the 2016 Centennial Year Touro Banquet (left to right): Terry Marcum, Molly Berger, Jolene SanditenStephens, and Craig Silberg.

Touro Banquet Honoring Our Presidents Dr. Manuel Brown A.H. Eichenberg Charles Jacobs Ed Cohen Curtis Green Joseph Pertofsky Howard Alexander

Charles Goodall Dr. Marcel Binstock Ron Kriegsman Sidney Brouse David Charney Brian Brouse Jack Zanerhaft

Scott F. Zarrow Stacy Schusterman Tom Adelson Dr. Jamie Cash Dr. Leor Roubein Jolene Sanditen-Stephens Craig Silberg

At the Synagogue on Sunday, May 22.

Please call us at (918) 935-3373 or reserve by mail.

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FROM RABBI KAIMAN

MANY THANKS

BAT MITZVAH

STEP BY STEP

TODAH RABAH

“Who is a fool?” the midrash asks, “one who says, ‘who can possibly cut down this entire field?’ The wise person says, ‘I will cut two basketfuls today and two tonight and two tomorrow, until I’ve completed the whole task.’” The text continues, “A foolish student will say, ‘Who can possibly learn the whole Torah?’ A wise student will say, ‘I will learn two laws today, and two tomorrow, until I have mastered the whole Torah.’”

So many projects at Congregation B’nai Emunah rest on the shoulders of talented volunteers and lay leaders. We are deeply grateful for the many ways individuals involve themselves in the life of our community.

Thank you to Jane Mudgett for connecting the important work of Chamber Music Tulsa with the Synagogue. Jane’s leadership brought the Jerusalem Quartet into the Synagogue and allowed us front row seats to a virtuosic performance. Our thanks to Scott Gregory of Public Radio Tulsa; Bruce Sorrell of Chamber Music Tulsa; and Shahnaz Khalil for making this edition of FETO/Sunday Morning Seminar such a success.

I love what this text says about learning. I love what this text says about wisdom. So often, we contort ourselves in all sorts of directions to exhibit knowledge and mastery of a particular subject or area. We feel inferior if our own education failed to cover a particular piece of literature or if we have not yet encountered the latest article in the New York Times.

In early April, we gathered for the Centennial Edition of Milestone Shabbat. Thank you to Karen Mintz, Debby Raskin, and Bethanie Verduzco for chairing such a spirit-filled evening. Thank you, also, to Marcia Paterman-Brookey, Bhadri Verduzco, and Rachel Gold for their contributions.

Recently, a contemporary of mine was reflecting on her own Jewish education. All the requisite highlights marked her journey: religious school and Hebrew school, a full and rigorous bat mitzvah, Jewish summer camp and trips to Israel, social and educational youth programs as a teen. Yet somehow she felt that her Jewish literacy was lacking. “There’s all this stuff that I just don’t know,” she remarked.

Once again, the Seventeenth Street Delicatessen delighted its customers in March. Our thanks to Cory Horowitz, Harris Prescott, Sofia Nagda, Bhadri Verduzco, Rachel Gold, Tim Wood, Ali Bovasso, Micah Cash, Nathan Levit, Zoe Weinstein and many more who have contributed to this successful project.

One of the great challenges of Jewish education in our historical moment is that there is simply never enough time.

Too often, important and thought-provoking material is left uncovered. The field feels too big and we say to ourselves, “it will be impossible to do it all.” But this text comes along to remind us that this is the foolish answer. In fact, wisdom is not mastery of the whole. It is incremental learning meted out over the course of a lifetime. Of course your Hebrew school education left certain areas of Jewish learning unexplored. Of course there will be rituals and moments in living a Jewish life which make you feel ignorant and uninformed. Our tradition is rich, multi-faceted and ever-evolving. The only way to learn and grow in your Judaism is to bite it off in small chunks. It will take time. But that is exactly the point.

This year’s blowout Purim festivities brought more than 200 people together in celebration and community. Our thanks to Nikki Sack and Lillian Hellman for serving as our megillah readers. Thank you, also, to Shahnaz Khalil for preparing our hamantaschen. Our breakfast team included Alin Avitan, Jeff Bonem, Joe Francella, Connie Gordon and Shahnaz Khalil.

Carnival volunteers included Nancy Cohen, Cory Horowitz, Alana Miller, Jordyn Fishman, Falcon Clemens, Steve Aberson, and Kelly Pappageorge. .

And so I once again extend an invitation for study to members of the congregation who would like to engage in this holy task. If you and at least three friends would like to form a regular, weekly study group, please send me a note at rdk@bnaiemunah.com. We’ll work together to identify a time and a starting topic, and the project will evolve from there. We may not ever cut down the entire field, but we will certainly harvest something worthwhile. .

The Synagogue Centennial 1916 - 2016

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FROM DANNY KRAFT

KUM ESSEN ORDER FORM

CAMP MAGIC

Name

As we prepare for the school year to wind down, I’m so excited for the students in our community who will spend their summers deepening their Jewish learning and Jewish identities.

Our synagogue is lucky to have such a strong partnership with Camp Ramah in the Rockies, and five of our students will go to camp there for the first time this summer: Havi Lewin, Lane Browning, Conley Bolusky, Adina Shane, and Eliana Joels. If you see these children or their families, feel free to wish them good luck and Mazal Tov on their exciting new experiences.

Address Phone E-Mail Pickup?

A wealth of research and anecdotes confirm the fact that Jewish camp is one of the best ways for children to grow in their commitments to Judaism. I asked Allie Wenger, one of our long-standing Ramah campers, to share how she felt about her time at camp. “I don’t get homesick while I’m at camp,” she said; “I get camp-sick during the rest of the year.

Sometimes I feel lonely brushing my teeth without my friends.

During Shabbat I miss the singing and dancing that we have at camp, and my morning alarm is nothing compared to the light shining into my ohel and the screams of “boker tov!”

Ship ($12.65 for 1 to 3 books)?

Ship to

Number of books ordered Total ($36 per book)

I love the way Allie said this, because it encapsulates so much of what’s so wonderful about Jewish summer camps like Ramah in the Rockies. Campers and staff members incorporate Hebrew seamlessly into their daily lives, and Jewish rituals become joyous opportunities for communal celebration. Many campers reflect that the friendships they make form a core Jewish community that lasts a lifetime.

Our community is very lucky that, thanks to the generosity of the Synagogue, the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, the Dave Sylvan Camp Fund, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, we are able to meet financial need and support all our students and families who want to experience the joys of Jewish Summer camp. Here’s to another summer of passionate Jewish life and learning!

Total enclosed (including shipping) Check or credit card?

Credit card number Expiration date CVC Make checks payable to B’nai Emunah Sisterhood and send to Jennifer Joels, 1205 South Tamarack Ave., Broken Arrow, OK, 74012

IN THE COMMUNITY

For Administrative Use:

UPCOMING ISRAEL EVENTS

Name

Yom Ha-Zikaron will be held this year on Tuesday, May 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center. A ceremony of remembrance will be held, followed by a sing-along in memory of Israel’s fallen soldiers.

On the following evening, Wednesday, May 11, a Yom HaAtzma’ut celebration will take place featuring an Israeli dinner and the Synopsis Israeli Dance Troupe. For more information on either event, please call the Jewish Community Center at (918) 495-1100.

Number of Cookbooks Amount paid Shipping or pickup?

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Centennial Highlights

Over the next several months, we’ll be using this space to remind you of events connected with the Synagogue’s centennial celebration. Please make note of these dates and join us for times of festivity and rejoicing.

The Touro Banquet: The Centennial Edition Sunday, May 22, at 6:00 p.m.

This special event will honor presidents who have served the congregation in the last fifty years. Invitations have already been sent. Craig Silberg and Jolene Sanditen-Stephens, Touro Fundraising Chairs, hope you will respond generously when your invitation arrives in the mail.

The 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, and events with a grand banquet, audio-visual summary of our history, dancing and toasts. Please mark your calendar and spread the word!

Please note that there are many other events on the Centennial calendar. Watch this space for more good things to come.

Transitions Congregation B’nai Emunah gratefully acknowledges the work of our Board of Directors from May 2015 forward. Nominated as officers for the coming year are Craig Silberg (President), Sally Donaldson (Executive Vice President/Finance) Elana Newman (Vice President), Aaron Miller (Vice President), and Nancy Cohen (Secretary) all for a one-year term.

Board Members elected in Spring, 2015 will serve an additional year. Newly nominated for two-year terms are Steven Aberson, Brian Brouse, Randee Charney, Mark Goldman, Ross Heyman, Seth Lapidus, Aaron Miller, Jeremy Rabinowitz, Dr. John Schumann, Eva Unterman, and Jill Wenger, M.D.

Please remember to cast your vote at the Annual Meeting of the congregation, scheduled for the evening of our Touro Banquet honoring the Past Presidents of the congregation. You are also invited to participate in the annual budget review at our regular Board Meeting on Tuesday, May 17.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SYNAGOGUE 17th Street Deli Barbara Selzer Bette Wozobski

92nd Street Y Fund

Susan Contente and G. Kurt Piehler

Altamont Bakery Fund

Barbara Brin and Coleman Robison

Ann Beerman Flower and Garden Fund Joe Secan

B’nai Emunah Preschool Joe and Helen Jeter

Edgar and Isabel Sanditen Preschool Fund Jan and Jerry Potash

Janis Bolusky Memorial Outreach Fund Gloria and Robert Joels

Joe and Dorothy Katz Senior Adult Fund Estelle Aberson

Joe Kantor Hebrew School Fund Sharon Markman

Josh and Lillian Price Memorial Fund Robyn and David Price

McClure Emergency Fund Jeffrey C. Rambach Family

Mizel Family Philanthropic Fund Susan and Jerry Sokol

Morris and Edith Sylvan Transportation Fund Elaine and Jerry Muhlberg

Norman and Shirley Levin Fund for Prayerbook Publication Betty and Keith Lehman

Rabbi Arthur D. Kahn, D. D., Culture Fund Jerry Borofsky

Rabbi Daniel S. Kaiman Discretionary Fund Estelle Aberson Julie Frank Roberta Selkin Barbara and Dave Sylvan

Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman Discretionary Fund Estelle Aberson Susannah and Jim Adelson Sharon and Fred Benjamin Sam Brenner Julie Frank Mark Goldman and Dr. W.C. Goad James Moskowitz Phyllis Raskin Nikki and Dr. Stephen Sack Roberta Selkin

Robinowitz Library Fund Rosetta and Avrom Brodsky Eva Unterman

Rose Borg Sukkah Fund

Rosalyn Borg (St. Louis) Jan and Jerry Potash Bonnie and Louis Spiesberger

Sam Plost Matzah Fund

Anonymous Drs. Jenny Boyer and Harold Ginzburg Barbara and Dr. Rick Cohen Joe Degen Nancy Fisher Frieda Grossbard Dr. Linda Goldenstern Sherri and Stuart Goodall Snippy Kobey Jackie and Art Lasky Mary and Dr. David Liff Sharon Markman Gale Mason Phyllis and Herb Plost Faye and Marvin Robinowitz Marcy and Dr. Bernard Robinowitz Mary and Robert Roseboro Drs. Sarah-Anne and John Schumann Susan and Jerry Sokol Phyllis and Harold Stein Louis, Katherine and Mike Stekoll Maxine Zarrow

Synagogue General Fund

Eric Alcouloumre Anonymous O’Neil Cobb Jennifer Flexner and John Bury Sally Geisert Allan Jeffy Norman Levick Cheryl and Greg Myers Lillian and Bernard Roberts Adria and Brad Sanditen Leslie Sanditen and Frank Zigmund Jolene Sanditen-Stephens and Jim Stephens Gilbert Schechtman Kevin Thomas Latona and Ron Willhoite

Seventeenth Street Deli | Kosher Eats at the Synagogue!

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SYNAGOGUE Trees of Life Fund

In Loving Memory (continued)

Jonathan Kantor

Religious School Fund

Ruth Bernstein Nikki and Dr. Stephen Sack

In Loving Memory

Hank Alcouloumre Ann Beerman Harry Borg Irving Borg Bessie Contente Hilda Cyter Mia Cyter Marian Darmstader Michele Borofsky Deissig Maxine Jeffy Joe Kantor Joe Katz Charles and Edna Kaplan Frieda and Milton Lasky

Samuel Lenske Neil Markman Harry Miller Ida Pinchev Etta Price Nathan Price Barbara Rambach Ethel Rae Roberts Michael Myer Roberts Scott Sanditen Grace Solomon Bernice Stekoll Alexis Torianyk Serene Weiner

In Honor (continued)

Jacob Benjamin Moskowitz, on his graduation from medical school Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman and Alice Blue, on the birth of Zelda Rose Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman and Alice Blue, on the engagement of Nina Fitzerman-Blue to Dan Sterba Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman Rabbi Daniel Shalom Kaiman Ricki Price-Baugh, on her bat mitzvah Marvin Robinowitz, on his birthday Lexi Sotkin, on her bat mitzvah Shelli Wright and the Preschool faculty

In Honor

Alice Blue Richard Borg Michael Cyter, Marcy Hammerschlag, Nikki, Dr. Stephen, Mia and Gabriel Sack

Speedy Recovery Jenny Brouse Jonathan Jeffy

Coming Soon to Congregation B’nai Emunah IN THE COMMUNITY

THE LEGO SYNAGOGUE

may | nisan-iyyar Sunday

1

9:00 AM Religious School 5:30 PM Service

Monday

2

5:30 PM Service

3

Tuesday

12:00 PM Altamont Baking 5:30 PM Service 7:00 PM Race in America Panel Discussion

4

Wednesday

9:00 AM Altamont Packing 3:30 PM Hebrew School 5:30 PM Service 6:45 PM Midrasha End of Year Celebration @ CBE

5

Thursday

5:30 PM Service 7:00 PM Community Yom Ha-Shoah Program at TI

Yom Ha-Shoah

8

9:00 AM Religious School 5:30 PM Service 6:00 PM Seventeenth Street Delicatessen

Rosh Chodesh Iyyar

15

9:00 AM Religious School 12:00 PM End of School Picnic 5:30 PM Service

22

5:30 PM Service 6:00 PM Centenntial Touro Award and Banquet

9

5:30 PM Service

10

1:00 PM Altamont Baking 5:30 PM Service

Rosh Chodesh Iyyar

16

5:30 PM Service

23

5:30 PM Service

11

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

Yom Ha-Zikaron

17

1:00 PM Altamont Baking 5:30 PM Service 7:00 PM Jewish Folk Dancing 7:00 PM Board of Directors

24

1:00 PM Altamont Baking 5:30 PM Service

18

9:00 AM Altamont Packing 5:30 PM Service

25

9:00 AM Altamont Packing 5:30 PM Service

12

5:30 PM Service

Yom Ha-Atzmaut

19

5:30 PM Service

26

5:30 PM Service

6

Friday

5:30 PM Service 6:00 PM Bibi-Dibi

5:30 PM Service

30

Offices and Preschool Closed 5:30 PM Service

Memorial Day

31

5:30 PM Service

9:00 AM Shabbat Service 8:25 PM Service

Candles: 7:56 PM

Torah: Achrei Mot Havdalah: 8:40 PM

13

14

Candles: 8:02 PM

Torah: Kedoshim Havdalah: 8:45 PM

20

21

Candles: 8:08 PM

Torah: Emor Havdalah: 8:50 PM

27

28

5:30 PM Service

5:30 PM Service 6:15 PM Shabbat Dinner 7:00 PM Shabbat for Everyone Service

10:30 AM Preschool Graduation 5:30 PM Service

Candles: 8:13 PM

29

7

Saturday

9:00 AM Shabbat Service and Bar Mitzvah of Itamar West 8:30 PM Service

9:00 AM Shabbat Service 8:35 PM Service

9:00 AM Shabbat Service 8:40 PM Service

Torah: Behar Havdalah: 8:55 PM

THE SYNAGOGUE

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID

CONGREGATION B’NAI EMUNAH

Tulsa, Oklahoma Permit No. 587

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

YAHRTZEIT CALENDAR­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­— 23 NISAN THROUGH 23 IYAR 5776 Sunday, May 1 - 23 Nisan Tully Anderson Monday, May 2 - 24 Nisan Rose Breitfeld Falik Kravetz Jacqueline Payne Michael Myer Roberts S. Laurence “Larry” Sobel Hyman Soclof Robert Delos West Tuesday, May 3 - 25, Nisan Janie Glasser Doris Lantz Dr. J. B. Raffkind Maurice Sanditen Ethyle G. Travis Sarah Wolfson Evelyn D. Rosenthal Zankel Wednesday, May 4 - 26 Nisan Abraham Gilenson Richard Replogel Dan H. Schusterman Charles Trynin Dorothy Turk Anne Zechman Goltz Bernice Zeldich Thursday, May 5 - 27 Nisan Hal Fein Hinda Rawska Guterman Mamie “May” Singer Lillian Smith Mayer Taxon Friday, May 6 - 28 Nisan Esther Fell Gordon Lance Louis Rich Guss Zeldich Saturday, May 7 - 29 Nisan Rae Aaronson Sophie Breitfeld Rose Mizel Jay Newman Albert Stein Gladys Weinberg

Sunday, May 8 - 30 Nisan Matilda Krasne Fannie Politzer Gene John Roubal Richard Schwartz Shaindel Singer Jacob Skuy Monday, May 9 - 1 Iyar Hortense Alcouloumre Isidore Goldman Florence Jacobs Sam Kassel Harry Kirschner Simon Levit Chaye Sarokin Anna Schwartzberg Nathan Wittles Wednesday, May 11 - 3 Iyar Miriam Abravanel Sharna Frank Morton Lehrman Bertha Lehrman Thursday, May 12 - 4 Iyar Srul Gornic Jacob Miller Dorothea Beatrice Rozen Susie Wallach Friday, May 13 - 5 Iyar Jacob L. Cardin Ruth Rabkin Cohen Miriam Davis Sol Katz Irene Rothbaum Saturday, May 14 - 6 Iyar Phillip Brown Rae Schechtman Moran Isaac Shwatshkin Abe Smith Moshe Chaim Soloveichik Jessie Sotonoff Sunday, May 15 - 7 Iyar Lillian Blaustein Joseph LeVine Dr. Meyer Pedott Isaac Roubein

Monday, May 16 - 8 Iyar Louis Blum Florence J. Cardin Rose Finston Celia Fischbein Shirley Greenberg Dorothy Katz Joan Kessler Irene Kopelman Jennie Stekoll Solow Tuesday, May 17 - 9 Iyar Anne Brodsky Edward J. Prussack Charles Ravitz Sonia Thelma Yasgur Schwartz Wednesday, May 18 - 10 Iyar Maurice Frank Bess Fell Wolfe Green Ray Bryan Miller Bessie Starr Thursday, May 19 - 11 Iyar Morris Goltz Mildred Leff Paull Friday, May 20 - 12 Iyar Eleanor Dorskind Marcia Borg Jankowsky Jean Pedott Zdenka Weinberg Irwin Oleinick Dorothy Zarrow Renberg Saturday, May 21 - 13 Iyar Alexander Rabkin Ethel Rae Roberts Fuller Scott Sunday, May 22 - 14 Iyar Sander Davidson Max Eichenberg Sam Kosloff Murle Mandlebaum Patricia Sokol Monday, May 23 – 15 Iyar Hans Eichler Joe Erdberg Dora Freed

Sidney Klein Isidore S. Pertofsky Rose Storch Tuesday, May 24 - 16 Iyar Max Gershowitz Solomon Lack Morris T. Lubin Harriet Mizel Tannenbaum Martin O. Rich Wednesday, May 25 - 17 Iyar Etta Silberg Bertha Palow Stein Thursday, May 26 - 18 Iyar Jeanette Frieden Theodore Geffen Julie Jackson Friday, May 27 - 19 Iyar Rose Perl Stanley Prussack Eddie Rabkin Raymond Stekoll Joseph E. Stiefel Abbott Wittels Saturday, May 28 - 20 Iyar Betty J. Kaiser Helen Dan Spector Oscar Stavinsky Sunday, May 29 - 21 Iyar Morris Brietfeld Manuel Brown August Gabel Nettie Lederman Henry Melville Mason Gershon Weisman Leo Zanerhaft Monday, May 30 - 22 Iyar Selig Sorkin Tuesday, May 31 - 23 Iyar Robert Paul Cohen William Fitzerman Miriam Kahn Leah Lapkin Zoltan Sollosy Sam Winer

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